Claudia Tait
Dr Claudia Tait
Royal Society University Research Fellow
The fundamental photophysical processes at the basis of the conversion of solar energy to electricity in photovoltaic devices involve species containing unpaired electron spins, from charge-transfer states generated upon light excitation at the interface between donor and acceptor in organic solar cells, to separated charge carriers travelling towards the electrodes and triplet states formed by recombination. Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) spectroscopy selectively probes unpaired electron spins and is used to measure interactions between them or with magnetic nuclei in their vicinity. ESR is therefore uniquely suited for the investigation of materials and devices for photovoltaics and can provide a detailed picture of the molecular environment of the species involved in the photovoltaic process.
The main focus of the research is to advance pulse ESR spectroscopy, in combination with pulsed Electrically Detected Magnetic Resonance (pEDMR), by exploiting advantages provided by shaped microwave pulses and to use it to obtain information on the nature and dynamics of paramagnetic species involved in solar-to-electricity conversion in emerging photovoltaic technologies.
Associated research themes:
