Start of funding 01.01.2021

Complementary structural measurements for organic thin films

Prof. Dr. Eva Herzig
University of Bayreuth

Dr. Chenhui Zhu
University of California, Berkeley
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Advanced Light Source



The properties of functional thin films are strongly linked with the molecular morphology of the used materials. It is therefore desirable to gain as much control over the molecular arrangement as possible. While the chemical structure of the new materials plays an important role regarding film morphology, processing parameters have been recognised to be extremely important as well. However, to gain a holistic understanding of the processing-morphology relationship in polymeric and small molecule thin films, we need to be able to systematically control the processing on the one hand and gain access to as much complementary information on the conformation and arrangement of the involved molecules as possible.
Within the framework of the proposed research collaboration we aim to develop a complementary multi-measurement tool to examine structural evolution in organic, light absorbing thin films with unprecedented structural resolution. This will allow the observation, analysis and ultimately the control of the morphology of optimised functional thin films which is an open challenge of organic photovoltaic, OLED and OFET technology. The unique combination of techniques will transform the understanding of morphology evolution in the field of organic photovoltaics and of thin film coatings in general.