Abstract

Winton Scholar Maxim Tabachnyk will host this informal discussion related to his PhD research.

Abstract The efficient transfer of energy between organic and inorganic semiconductors is a widely sought after property for applications in photovoltaics, LEDs and sensors, but has to date been limited to the transfer of spin singlet excitons. In our journal club, I will report efficient resonant-energy transfer of molecular spin triplet excitons from organic to inorganic semiconductors. Compared to singlet excitons, triplet excitons have the advantage of longer lifetimes and, for some systems, longer diffusion lengths. We use ultrafast optical absorption spectroscopy to track the dynamics of triplets, generated in pentacene via singlet exciton fission, at the interface with inorganic nanocrystals. Following triplet transfer, the excitation can undergo either charge separation, allowing photovoltaic operation, or radiative recombination in the nanocrystal, enabling luminescent harvesting of triplet exciton energy in light emitting structures.