Our research is focused on the spectroscopy of molecular materials to explore fundamental scientific issues related to using the functional molecules for electronic applications. Our work lies at the interface of physics, materials, and physical chemistry. Research in molecular electronics has a very broad scope with many promising applications, including: solar cells, displays, transistors, biosensors and photonic device applications. Despite the diversity of uses, all these applications are based on thin films of functional materials such as organic semiconductors and organic/inorganic hybrid materials. In each case their performance is critically dependent upon the structural and optoelectronic properties of molecules, the precise arrangement, packing and interactions between the molecules. Our principal research focuses on this fundamental issue, seeking to develop a systematic, microscopic understanding of the relationship between nanostructures and optoelectronic properties of molecular semiconductors and to correlate it with the device functionality and performance.
In this regard, our team has been developing advanced optical and structural probes for molecular semiconductors. For example, we have developed and established Raman spectroscopy as an advanced structural nanoprobe for conjugated molecular semiconductors. Utilising selective resonant and polarisation dependent excitations, together with in situ control of temperature, pressure, electrical, and electrochemical potential, we have demonstrated its unique capability to elucidate the properties of molecular semiconductors. These include chemical structure, molecular conformation, order, orientation, fundamental photo- and electro-chemical processes and stability - all of which are critically important to the performance of a wide range of optical and electronic organic semiconductor devices.
Our ambition now is to extend our expertise towards the field of Nanoscale Functional Materials including organic and organic/inorganic, perovskites, bio-nanomaterials for hybrid electronics targeting for photo-electron conversion and bio applications, paralleled with developing novel spectroscopic Nanometrology for these functional materials.
