Research Interest

Organic Functional Materials 

Organic synthesis allows the judicious design of functional building blocks and constitutes the basis of chemists’ approach to addressing various features of materials science. Our research focuses on the design and synthesis of functional π-conjugated donor-acceptor-based (D-A) organic/hybrid functional materials and dyes with specific electronic functions for application as active components in photovoltaic devices, such as bulk-heterojunction, dye-sensitized, and perovskite solar cells. The group's focus is to create novel molecules with desired properties and functions, based on scientific principles and experimental validation. The group works closely with experts in theory and device physics to translate its discoveries into practical applications.

The focus is on understanding the various physical parameters that influence the materials' properties in solution and solid state. In this direction, we plan to develop functional materials that offer fine-tuning of the absorption and emission properties, electronic energy levels, packing in the solid state, charge transport properties, and processability. Our molecular engineering approach is used to tailor the size, shape, and functionality of organic materials and explore their applications in organic electronics and biological applications. The device parameters are analyzed to understand the molecular properties and to identify the lead molecules. 

The choice of organic materials plays a crucial role in the device performance improvement. It is very important to understand the molecular details, including absorption, emission, film-forming properties, i.e., orientation on the surface, and charge transport. An important objective of our research is to elucidate the correlation of the molecular structures with their optoelectronic pro­per­ties and device performances.

We are developing coumarin-, diketopyrrolopyrrole-, and thiophene-based donor-acceptor molecules for solar cell applications. Both the BHJ and sequential deposition techniques are used to optimize the film morphology to improve the performance. 

The research programs also established diverse interdisciplinary national and international collaborations with the university, institutional, and industrial partners aiming at the application of the new materials as components in optoelectronic devices.