From Processing to Performance: Understanding Organic Electronic Materials
The Fernando Research Group investigates sustainable organic electronic materials, aiming to connect processing, structure, and electronic function. We are fundamentally interested in how processing shapes local material structure and electronic properties, with applications in organic photovoltaics, sensors, and flexible electronic devices.
Processing-Structure–Electronic Property Relationships
Our research investigates how processing conditions influence film morphology and electronic performance in organic photovoltaics and semitransparent organic electrodes. We use scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques such as conductive atomic force microscopy (c-AFM), to study local charge transport at the nanoscale. These insights are complemented by structural characterization to provide a broader understanding of processing, morphology, and charge transport.
- Lyotropic Liquid Crystal Mediated Assembly of Donor Polymers Enhances Efficiency and Stability of Blade-Coated Organic Solar Cells – Advanced Materials (2024)
- Remarkable Electrical Connectivity in the Acceptor Phase of Y6- and Fullerene-Based Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells – ACS Applied Energy Materials (2023)
- Unambiguous Measurement of Local Hole Current in Organic Semiconductors Using Conductive Atomic Force Microscopy – J. Phys. Chem. C (2023)
- Mixed molecular orientations promote charge transport in bulk heterojunction solar cells – Chemical Communications (2022)
- Probing the Contribution of Lateral Pathways to Out-of-Plane Charge Transport in Organic Bulk Heterojunctions – Advanced Electronic Materials (2022)
Environmentally Sustainable Approaches to Organic Electronics
We explore environmentally conscious strategies for processing organic electronic materials, with a focus on reducing reliance on toxic solvents and additives. Our research investigates the use of green solvents, solid additives, and solution blends to control aggregation and morphology in bulk heterojunction systems. In parallel, we study the "green" formulation and post-treatment of PEDOT:PSS-based thin films to understand how conductivity and morphology can be tuned through more sustainable processing approaches.
- Enhanced Piezoelectric Effect in P(VDF-TrFE) through Synergistic Templating by PEDOT:PSS and Paper – ACS Applied Electronic Materials (2026)
- Tuning the Solution Aggregate Structure of a PM7-Based Conjugated Polymer to Enable Green Solvent Processing of Organic Solar Cells – Chemistry of Materials (2024)