Alternative Energy Generation: Strategic Design of Photovoltaic and Thermoelectric Materials Using Modular Chemistry and Assembly, Interface Engineering, and Spectroscopic Characterization

This multidisciplinary team of chemists and physicists has complementary expertise in synthesis and spectroscopy, which allows us to explore novel materials with promise in photovoltaic and thermoelectric applications.  This collaboration will focus on developing new molecules/polymers/nanomaterials and hybrid materials as well as new surface chemistry routes to control the structure at the interface between such novel materials and other device components like electrodes.  Next, different state-of-the-art spectroscopic techniques will be used to quantify properties like photoluminescence, carrier dynamics, interfacial organization and composition.  This spectroscopic screening process will allow us to gain a broad understanding of structure-function relationships and hasten the identification of promising new material combinations for next-generation energy applications.

  • Status

    Ended

  • Theme

    Solar

  • Faculties

Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship

Award

Chemistry Alumni International Graduate Scholarship

Abhoy Karmakar

Award

Dr. R. Norman and Magda Kemeny Jones Travel Award

Abhoy Karmakar

Award

Mitacs Globalink Award for Asjad Hossain

Award

Pansy and George Strange Graduate Scholarship

Abhoy Karmakar

Award

Short-term Research Award

Award

Suraj Manra Graduate Student Presentation Award in Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1st Place)

Abhoy Karmakar

Award

Travel Stipend (Rocky Mountain Conference)

Abhoy Karmakar

Award

Accelerated Ripening in Chemically Fueled Emulsions

Juli Gibbs

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

C3N5: A Low Bandgap Semiconductor Containing an Azo-linked Carbon Nitride Framework for Photocatalytic, Photovoltaic and Adsorbent Applications

Karthik Shankar, Ujwal Thakur, Kazi Alam, Vladimir K Michaelis, Guy Bernard

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Characterization of THz-Induces Bias Voltage Modulation In An STM

Frank Hegmann

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Classification of Half-Heusler Compounds through Machine Learning Approaches

Arthur Mar, Alex Gzyl, Lawrence Adutwum, Anton Oliynyk

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Classification of Half-Heusler Compounds through Machine-Learning Approaches

Arthur Mar, Alex Gzyl, Lawrence Adutwum, Anton Oliynyk

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Collaborative Ultrafast Spectroscopic Laser (CUSL) facility

Karthik Shankar, Al Meldrum, Juli Gibbs, Frank Hegmann

Misc: Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) John R. Evans Leade

Composition-Tunable Formamidinium Lead Mixed Halide Perovskites via Solvent-Free Mechanochemical Synthesis: Decoding the Pb Environments Using Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

Karthik Shankar, Vladimir K Michaelis, Michelle Ha, Abhoy Karmakar, Guy Bernard

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Cu(II)-Doped CS2SbAgCl6 Double Perovskite: A Lead-Free, Low-Bandgap Material

Vladimir K Michaelis, Abhoy Karmakar

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Dehydrocoupling – an alternative approach to functionalizing germanium nanoparticle surfaces

Jonathan GC Veinot

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Design and Synthesis of Tellurophenes to Advance Optoelectronic Applications

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Doping Silicon Nanoparticles: An Approach to Tailoring Material Properties

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Enhanced Mismatch Selectivity of T4 DNA Ligase Far Above the Probe: Target Duplex Dissociation Temperature

Juli Gibbs

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Experimental Validation of High Thermoelectric Performance in RECuZnP2 Predicted by High-Throughput DFT Calculations

Arthur Mar, Jan Poehls, Nick Friesen

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Experimental validation of high thermoelectric performance in RECuZnP2 predicted by high-throughput DFT calculations

Arthur Mar, Jan Poehls, Nick Friesen

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Exposing Halide-Mixing in Hybrid Perovskite Materials Using Solid-State NMR

Karthik Shankar, Vladimir K Michaelis, Michelle Ha, Abhoy Karmakar, Guy Bernard

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Exposing Halide-Mixing in Next-Generation Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Perovskite Materials using Solid-State NMR

Karthik Shankar, Vladimir K Michaelis, Michelle Ha, Abhoy Karmakar, Guy Bernard

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Genomic Signature of Membrane Permeation Induced By Intense THz Pulsesz

Frank Hegmann

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Half-Heusler Structures with Full-Heusler Counterparts: Machine-Learning Predictions and Experimental Validation

Arthur Mar, Alex Gzyl, Anton Oliynyk

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

High-Throughput Approaches for Discovering Thermoelectric Materials

Arthur Mar

Other Event

Hot-Carrier Induced Photoluminescence Enhancement and Quenching in GaAs and InP Driven by Intense THz Pulses

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

In Search of Coloured Intermetallics

Arthur Mar, Vidyanshu Mishra, Anton Oliynyk, Jan Poehls, Vladimir K Michaelis, Guy Bernard

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Influence of hidden halogen mobility on local structure of CsSn(Cl1-xBrx)3 mixed-halide perovskites by solid-state NMR

Arthur Mar, Vladimir K Michaelis, Abhoy Karmakar

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Intense terahertz pulses inhibit ras signaling and other cancer-associated signaling pathways in human skin tissue models

Frank Hegmann

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Intense-Terahertz-Pulse Enhancement of Hot-Carrier Photoluminescence in GaAs

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Investigation of Li-Zn-X (X = Ga, In) coloured intermetallics

Arthur Mar, Vidyanshu Mishra, Dundappa Mumbaraddi, Vladimir K Michaelis

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Lead-207 NMR Spectroscopy at 1.4 T: Application of Benchtop Instrumentation to a Challenging I = \textonehalf Nucleus

Vladimir K Michaelis, Guy Bernard

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Machine learning in solid-state chemistry: Heusler compounds

Arthur Mar, Alex Gzyl, Anton Oliynyk

Book Chapter

Machine-learning predictions of half-Heusler structures

Arthur Mar

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Mechanochemical Synthesis of Hybrid Lead Mixed-Halide Perovskites: An Atomic Level Study Using Solid-State NMR

Vladimir K Michaelis, Abhoy Karmakar

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Mechanochemical Synthesis of Methylammonium Lead Mixed\textendash Halide Perovskites: Unraveling the Solid-Solution Behavior Using Solid-State NMR

Karthik Shankar, Vladimir K Michaelis, Michelle Ha, Abhoy Karmakar, Guy Bernard

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Mechanochemical synthesis of 0D and 3D cesium lead mixed halide perovskites

Vladimir K Michaelis, Abhoy Karmakar

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Minimizing Product Inhibition in DNA Self-Replication

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Modulated Photoluminescence of Germanium via Intense Terahertz Electric Fields

Frank Hegmann

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Nonlinear Optics of Mineral Oxide Interfaces

Mokhtar Rashwan

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Not Just Par for the Course: 73 Quaternary Germanides RE4M2XGe4 (RE = La–Nd, Sm, Gd–Tm, Lu; M = Mn–Ni; X = Ag, Cd) and the Search for Intermetallics with Low Thermal Conductivity

Arthur Mar, Anton Oliynyk, Dong Zhang

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Phase Evolution in Methylammonium Tin Halide Perovskites with Variable Temperature Solid-State 119Sn NMR Spectroscopy

Karthik Shankar, Vladimir K Michaelis, Michelle Ha, Abhoy Karmakar, Guy Bernard

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Photocatalytic mechanism control and study of carrier dynamics in CdS@C3N5 core-shell nanowires

Karthik Shankar, Kazi Alam, Frank Hegmann, Vladimir K Michaelis, Lian Shoute, Guy Bernard, Narendra Chaulagain, John Garcia

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Photoluminescence dynamics of functionalized two-dimensional silicon nanosheets

Frank Hegmann

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Picosecond Photoconductivity and Vibrational Mode Screening in Double-Helix SnIP

Frank Hegmann

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Picosecond Photophysics in Double-Helix SnIP

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Preparation and Properties of Amphiphilic Photoluminescent Silicon Nanocrystals

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Quarternary Rare-earth Transition-Metal Germanides: RE4M2CdGe4 and RE4M2AgGe4 (RE=La-SM, Gd-Lu, M=Mn-Ni)

Arthur Mar, Anton Oliynyk, Dong Zhang

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Quaternary Rare-Earth Transition-Metal Germanides RE4M2CdGe4 and RE4M2AgGe4 (RE = La–Sm, Gd–Tm, Lu; M = Mn–Ni)

Arthur Mar, Anton Oliynyk, Dong Zhang

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Rare-earth transition-metal oxychalcogenides

Arthur Mar, Vidyanshu Mishra, Dundappa Mumbaraddi

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Revealing the Local Sn and Pb Arrangements in CsSnxPb1–xBr3 Perovskites with Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

Arthur Mar, Vladimir K Michaelis, Abhoy Karmakar, Guy Bernard

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Seeing the Stern Layer at the Silica/Aqueous Interface Using Nonlinear Optical Spectroscopy

Juli Gibbs, Mokhtar Rashwan

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Silicon Quantum Dot–Polymer Fabry–Pérot Resonators with Narrowed and Tunable Emissions

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Silicon Surface Passivation for Silicon-Colloidal Quantum Dot Heterojunction Photodetectors

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Solving the Colouring Problem in Half-Heusler Structures: Machine-Learning Predictions and Experimental Validation

Arthur Mar, Alex Gzyl, Lawrence Adutwum, Anton Oliynyk

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Structure and Luminescence Properties of Rare-Earth Chalcohalides RE3Ge2Ch8X (Ch = S, Se; X = Cl, Br, I)

Arthur Mar, Dundappa Mumbaraddi

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Structure of the Silica/Divalent Electrolyte Interface: Molecular Insight into Charge Inversion with Increasing pH

Juli Gibbs, Mokhtar Rashwan

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Sum frequency generation spectroscopy: A molecular probe for energy systems

Mokhtar Rashwan

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Sum frequency generation spectroscopy: A molecular probe for energy systems

Mokhtar Rashwan

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Sum frequency generation: A spectroscopic probe of aqueous/mineral oxide interfaces

Mokhtar Rashwan

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Synthesis, structure, and properties of rare-earth germanium sulfide iodides RE3Ge2S8I (RE = La, Ce, Pr)

Arthur Mar, Vidyanshu Mishra, Dundappa Mumbaraddi, Anton Oliynyk

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Tailorable Indirect to Direct Band-Gap Double Perovskites with Bright White-Light Emission: Decoding Chemical Structure Using Solid-State NMR

Al Meldrum, Vladimir K Michaelis, Abhoy Karmakar, Guy Bernard

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Tailoring B-doped silicon nanocrystal surface chemistry via phosphorus pentachloride – mediated surface alkoxylation

Vladimir K Michaelis

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Tailoring Ordered Mesoporous Titania Films via Introducing Germanium Nanocrystals for Enhanced Electron Transfer Photoanodes for Photovoltaic Applications

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Tellurium-containing rings and their polymers for enhanced photovoltaics

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Terahertz photoconductivity of germanium inverse opal structures

Frank Hegmann

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Ternary Germanides in Ce-M-Ge System (M=Rh, Co)

Arthur Mar, Anton Oliynyk, Dong Zhang

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Ternary Germanides in the Ce–M–Ge (M = Rh, Co) Systems

Arthur Mar, Anton Oliynyk, Dong Zhang

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Ternary and Quaternary Rare-Earth Transition-Metal Germanides

Arthur Mar, Dong Zhang

Master Thesis

Thermally Induced Dehydrogenative Coupling of Organosilanes and H-Terminated Silicon Quantum Dots onto Germanane Surfaces

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Thermally induced alkyl-silane dehydrocoupling on the surface of germanium nanocrystals

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Thermoelectric properties of inverse perovskites A3TtO (A = Mg, Ca; Tt = Si, Ge): Computational and experimental investigations

Arthur Mar, Jan Poehls

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Time-resolved Terahertz Spectroscopy of Inverse Opal Ge Films

Frank Hegmann

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Topology-Based Prediction of Pathway Dysregulation Induced by Intense Terahertz Pulses in Human Skin Tissue Models

Frank Hegmann

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Towards Triplet-Based Photovoltaics: Iodinated Tellurophenes and Their Conjugated Polymers

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Triplet excitons: improving exciton diffusion length for enhanced organic photovoltaics

Karthik Shankar, Manisha Gupta

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Ultrafast Carrier Dynamics of CdS Nanowires Wrapped In C3N5 Nanosheets

Karthik Shankar, Kazi Alam, Frank Hegmann

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Ultrafast photoconductivity and terahertz vibrational dynamics in double helix SnIP nanowires

Frank Hegmann

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

X-ray diffraction short course

Arthur Mar

Other Event

“Turning the dials”: controlling synthesis, structure, composition, and surface chemistry to tailor silicon nanoparticle properties

Ziqi Li

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article