Abstract:
The interest in using organic semiconductor thin films in electronic and optoelectronic applications has grown rapidly due to many technological advantages intrinsic to these unconventional electronic materials, such as low material cost, ease of processing, and compatibility with flexible substrates.  Many organic-based devices, including organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs), photovoltaic (PV) cells, photodetectors, thin-film transistors, and memories, have been demonstrated over the last two decades, with OLEDs now available in commercial display products. 
This talk is focused on organic PV cells, which can potentially provide low-cost solar energy conversion to revolutionize the world’s energy supply.  The efficiency of organic PV cells has improved significantly in the last a few years, through the introduction of new device architectures and the use of new materials.  This is a direct result of improved understandings of the material properties and device physics.  Current state-of-the-art organic PV cells have demonstrated power conversion efficiencies of 5-6%.  Here, I will discuss the fundamental photovoltaic processes in organic PV cells, and review the major advances in OPV research.  Key challenges for this field will also be identified.

Bio:
Dr. Jiangeng Xue obtained his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University in Jan. 2005, working in the field of organic electronics with Prof. Stephen R. Forrest.  At Princeton, he won a Solar Energy Innovation Award for part of his thesis work on high efficiency organic solar cells.  He also had a B.S. (1995) and M.S. (1998), both in physics, from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in Hefei, China.  After briefly working as a Research Scientist at Global Photonic Energy Corporation, in Aug. 2005 he joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Florida in Gainesville as an Assistant Professor.  He received a prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the U.S. National Science Foundation in 2007.  His research interests are broadly on the physics and applications of organic and hybrid organic-inorganic electronic materials including nanostructures, surfaces/interfaces, and energy materials.