Energy Carrier Transport in Nanocrystal Optoelectronics Under Relevant In Situ Conditions

forthcoming

The aim of this project is to spectroscopically study nanoscale electronic transport, thermal transport, and relaxation dynamics in nanocrystal-based optoelectronics. The major advance will be to do so under real device operating conditions in situ and with high spatiotemporal resolution—the first studies of their kind. Energy-carrier dynamics are fundamental to basic energy science, yet important questions about microscopic charge and thermal transport under operando device conditions remain underexplored. Key advances in the historically separate fields of transient microscopy, thermoreflectance, and nanocrystal optoelectronic device fabrication present an opportune moment to directly probe such dynamics in unprecedented ways. In the next generation of optoelectronics research, these fields must be merged to image local charge-carrier dynamics and thermal transport in the context of realistic conditions. I will use transient optical microscopy to spatiotemporally resolve carrier transport in nanomaterials in contact with electrodes, under applied bias and illumination, and account for morphological features. I will seek a deeper mechanistic understanding through modeling, provide feedback on efficiency-limiting steps, and develop new approaches to control energy flow via physicochemical parameters. Looking beyond pristine materials, I will focus on colloidal nanocrystal-based optoelectronics such as photoconductors, solar cells and LEDs, serving as model next-generation systems. These studies will reveal microscopic structure–property relationships that connect nanoscale carrier dynamics to macro-scale device functionality. The operando method established here will be broadly applicable to a wide range of advanced materials and device configurations. I am uniquely positioned to achieve this scientific advance, synergizing expertise in time-resolved microscopy, nanocrystal device fabrication, probe station characterization, and nanoscale thermal transport.