Carmen Ocal – Page 3 – PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY OF SURFACES AND INTERFACES

CLOSED PhD position: Interface engineering for the next future well-performing organic devices

Written by Carmen Ocal on July 27, 2023. Posted in News.

Interface engineering for the next future well-performing organic devices

When Herbert Kroemer (Nobel Prize in Physics, 2000) coined the famous phrase “the interface is the device”, he referred to the success of devices based on thin inorganic semiconductor films for photonic and electronic applications that started more than four decades ago.

This statement also holds for organic semiconductors, which are predestined by deposition on large-area and flexible substrates to be the electrically and optically active layers with important applications in electronics, lighting, photovoltaics and displays. A good number of interfaces (organic/organic and organic/inorganic) are inherent to all organic electronic devices and, because their relevant role in device performance, Kroemer’s phrase can be extended:

“The interfaceS are the organic deviceS”.

With that certainty added to the experience and equipment of the Physical Chemistry of Surfaces and Interfaces (PCSI) group, we offer a doctoral position.

The doctoral project (*) aims to obtain structural control of organic semiconductors thin films for the near future manufacture of more reliable organic electronic devices. The proposal points to a detailed microscopic understanding of crystallography, polymorphism, role of interfaces, as well as to determine the conditions for a good thermal stability of thin films prepared by various physical and chemical methodologies. Furthermore, the use of multi-component thin films (e.g., donor/acceptor organics) and proper fabrication protocols will allow obtaining co-crystalline charge transfer complexes (CTC) thin films, paving the way for applications in NIR photo-detection and photo-thermal conversion.

Taking advantage of the relevant role that the PCSI group plays in the SPM platform of the InCAEM project, the doctoral thesis will include the combination of state-of-the-art methodologies for correlative and in-situ experiments. In particular, in-situ and real-time characterization during thin film growth and/or post-growth treatments (e. g., thermal and solvent annealing) using diverse modes of scanning probe microscopy, one of the most versatile characterization tools in nanoscience, combined with powerful X-ray synchrotron techniques.

Materials Science Institute of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC)

The PhD fellow will have the unique opportunity to carry out a doctorate in the scientific active and lively environment of ICMAB and the synchrotron ALBA, and acquire the knowledge to master state-of-the-art techniques for organic thin films growth and novel characterization instruments with the purpose of correlating structural details with device performances. The collaborative activity of the PCSI teams at international level (EU consortiums, training networks and bilateral collaborations) will pave the chance of the fellow towards an international career.

Application and requirements

Candidates with motivated attitude for experimental tasks and good academic background, must hold a Master’s degree in materials science, physics, nanoscience, nanotechnology or related fields at the moment of the formal application.

We encourage interested candidates to send a CV and motivation letter to the following researchers:

Daniel Martín-Jiménez: dmartin@icmab.es
Esther Barrena: ebarrena@icmab.es
Carmen Ocal: cocal@icmab.es

NOTE: Only preselected applications will get an answer and will obtain an appointment to carry out an interview.

Please note that the deadline indicated is an estimation, and the position will remain open until we find the right candidate.

* The doctoral position will be financed under project PID2022-136802NB-I00

PhD offer: Advanced characterization tools to improve organic devices

Written by Carmen Ocal on May 3, 2023. Posted in News.

If you like to get involved in developing new techniques for materials characterization allowing better devices,

while enjoying a pleasant environment for research, training and networking,

you can carry out a PhD in our group:

Development of a new Atomic Force Microscopy technique to characterize polymorphs of thin organic layers and improve OFET performance

The use of semiconducting organic compounds has represented a huge advance in the fabrication of electronic devices. These compounds allow devices to be lighter, more flexible, cheaper and more feasible to manufacture on a large scale than their inorganic counterparts. In an organic field-effect transistor (OFET), the organic compounds in the form of thin films are the active element. The efficiency of the OFET depends on the particular organic molecule, but also its organization within the film. Some semiconducting organic compounds have been found to possess polymorphism (more than one crystal structure). Current laboratory available fabrication processes permit control of polymorphism on a substrate. Recently, the use of liquid-like crystal forms have been proposed as polymorphic precursors to stabilize defect-free thin films in a strategy to enhance the electronic properties of an OFET. The Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) is an ideal tool to determine accurately lattice parameters and crystal orientation of crystalline surface structures. However, its use for molecular resolution is often limited to contact mode methods, which can be invasive and cause thin-film damage. Therefore, the AFM methods for molecular resolution are often restricted to measure solely solid crystal phases.

The proposed PhD project aims to use fabrication processes to generate solid and liquid-like crystal polymorphs of molecular compounds and develop AFM techniques able to detect, with high spatial resolution, the molecular assembly for the thin film phases. AFM sensors with diverse resonance frequencies, spring constants and operating with different eigenmodes and amplitudes will be tested. The full optimization will allow the determination of AFM settings to achieve the highest resolution as a function of the crystal compactness. Once the crystal structures are resolved, OFETs will be fabricated to establish the correlation structure properties.

DocFam+ enhances the potential and future career perspectives of recruited fellows

The DocFam+ doctoral program promotes adequate work and employment conditions for the recruited researchers, fulfilling the principles set in the EU Charter & Code.

Eligibility Criteria, How to apply, Evaluation process and Funding conditions

If you have any question related to this project, do not hesitate to contact directly with us:

Daniel Martin-Jimenez dmartin@icmab.es

Carmen Ocal cocal@icmab.es

Daniel Martín-Jiménez will start his MSCA-PF with us

Written by Carmen Ocal on April 20, 2023. Posted in News.

In Feb 2023 we have known that Daniel, with his project TORNADE, achieved one of the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Awards for Postdoctoral Fellowships.

As an expert in Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM), at the moment he is working within the project InCAEM* but he will start his TORNADE project in the fall of this year.

TORNADE has a double objective. On the one hand establishing novel uses of SPM techniques to characterize with high resolution anisotropic organic layers for the production of more efficient organic electronic devices. That will be a feedback for optimizing the preparation methods as to obtain organic thin films with a more controllable domain distribution and enhanced electronic properties.

You can have a look to the scientific background and production of Daniel here.

(*) InCAEM is part of the Planes Complementarios programme, launched and funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation together with the Generalitat de Catalunya, with the support of NextGeneration EU funds. InCAEM belongs to the Advanced Materials project, aimed at developing new sustainable materials to be used in batteries, electric vehicles or solar cells, among others.

FESTA: Photochemistry and stability of organic/water model interfaces for water splitting (PID2019-110907GB-I00)

Written by Carmen Ocal on March 25, 2023. Posted in Projects.

OSCs photoelectrodes are promising for photoelectrochemical water splitting, which gains more attention every year. The stability of the photoelectrodes still remains a major performance constraint. Few factors might contribute to the observed photocurrent decay, including chemical or morphological/structural transformation and photochemical degradation of the OSC materials. However, the rationale behind the factors affecting stability and water splitting mechanism has not been properly understood yet. From a molecular perspective, very little is known about the photochemical surface reaction, the interaction of absorbed water molecules with specific molecular sites and how water affects the structural and electronic properties of the OSCs films. We would like to mention a recent work that has identified the role of water in charge trapping in OSCs polymers. It has been proposed that the origin of the traps is due to a dielectric effect of water penetrating nanovoids in the organic semiconductor thin film. This proposal aims at advancing our understanding on the crucial role of structural and chemical factors at model interfaces of interest for water splitting, at the intersection of precisely controlled surfaces/interfaces and advanced in-situ characterization tools.

Solution processed organic semiconductors (OSCs) are a promising class of materials to enable low-cost and high performance fuel production. The advantages of solution-processable OSCs and their success in organic photovoltaic devices have triggered the interest of optimizing their properties for operation in photocatalytic water splitting devices. Within this scenario, an approach is the use OSCs as photoelectrodes for visible-light water splitting. Although the stability of the materials in aqueous environment remains a major performance limitation, the rationale behind the factors affecting the stability and water splitting mechanisms has not been properly understood yet. The goal of this proposal is to provide a nanoscopic picture of the OSC/water interface and an understanding of the photochemical processes by in-situ characterization methods. The bottom-up growth of conjugated 2D-COFs with a tailored variation of the pore size and hydrophilic/hydrophobic character will allow us to advance the understanding of the crucial role of structural and chemical factors at organic/water model interfaces of interest for water splitting. Our research group combines large expertise in the fields of OSCs growth and water on surfaces as well as in a wide spectrum of advanced surface characterization techniques and in-situ characterization methods. We expect that the results will provide ground ideas for the design of materials with improved performance and stability for photocatalytic water splitting applications.

We offer two JAE Intro 2023 CSIC fellowships

Written by Carmen Ocal on March 21, 2023. Posted in News.

The call is open to undergraduate and master’s students as a fascinating introduction to research through personalized tutored training.

The fellowships are for 7 months and endowed with 4,200 €.

Deadline: 15 May 2023

Our group is offering 2 projects (see below the proposals’ summaries).

All information about the call, eligibility and requirements can be found at:

JAE program 2023 CSIC
Access to the Applications system

If you have any question related to these projects, do not hesitate to contact directly with us:

PROJECT 1: Esther Barrena ebarrena@icmab.es

PROJECT 2: Daniel Martin-Jimenez dmartin@icmab.es

Cuenta la Ciencia

Written by Carmen Ocal on March 11, 2023. Posted in Outreach.

El salón de las Mujeres Sabias

Proyecto seleccionado y financiado por la Fundación General del CSIC (FGCSIC) en su Segunda Edición (2018) de Cuenta la Ciencia.

“Madame Châtelet y sus seguidoras en Instagram” es una actividad creada con motivo del 11F (2017), realizada por mujeres de los diferentes estamentos del ICMAB, y llevada a centros educativos y culturales del área de Barcelona, entre los años 2017 y 2023.

Mucha información, sobre el proyecto pero también sobre las diferentes mujeres (realizadoras y representadas) del proyecto se pueden encontrar, gracias a la ayuda y colaboración de nuestro compañero J.A. Gómez (Jags) en este enlace: Madame Châtelet

Author: Carmen Ocal

DocFam+ enhances the potential and future career perspectives of recruited fellows