Exciton Transport and Charge Separation in Organic Solar Cells Visualized with Interface Specific Femtosecond Spectroscopy

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助。南加州大学（USC）的Roberts博士是美国化学竞争力研究员。 Roberts博士将使用先进的飞秒光谱技术研究有机光伏材料中能量迁移的动力学。 特别是，他将着眼于在电子供体和受体材料之间的界面使用界面敏感光谱的动态。罗伯茨博士将与南加州大学的实验科学家以及洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室的理论家合作。 为了扩大参与度，罗伯茨博士将帮助南加州大学为洛杉矶东南部的高中和社区大学学生推出一个暑期实习项目。 实习计划将包括课堂和动手实验室工作，研究替代能源技术。 像罗伯茨博士这样的研究旨在更好地了解有机光化学如何将太阳能转化为电能。 像这样的研究的最终目标是开发改进的技术，将太阳能转化为电能。 Roberts博士为扩大参与所作的努力旨在增加科学界代表性不足群体中的青年人的参与。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).The Division of Chemistry supports Sean T. Roberts of the University of Southern California (USC) as an American Competitiveness in Chemistry Fellow. Dr. Roberts will study the dynamics of energy migration in organic photovoltaic materials using sophisticated femtosecond spectroscopy techniques. In particular, he will look at the dynamics at the interface between electron-donor and -acceptor materials using interface-sensitive spectroscopies. Dr. Roberts will collaborate with experimental scientists at the University of Southern California as well as with theorists at Los Alamos National Laboratory. For his plan for broadening participation, Dr. Roberts will help launch a summer internship program at USC for high school and community college students in Southeast Los Angeles -- a region with a large percentage of Hispanic students. The internship program will include classroom and hands-on laboratory work studying alternative energy technologies. Research like that of Dr. Roberts is aimed at developing a better understanding of how organic photovoltaics convert energy from sunlight into electricity. The ultimate goal of research like this is to develop improved technology for the conversion of solar energy into electricity. The efforts at broadening participation being pursued by Dr. Roberts are aimed at increasing the participation of young people from underrepresented groups in the sciences.