The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry hosts guest speaker Catherine M. Mauck '09, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Kenyon College. Her topic will be "Intermolecular interactions in organic electronics."

There will be an opportunity to mingle and socialize before the event at 4:30 p.m. in the David Love Lounge. Please note that no refreshments will be served.

Sponsored by the Luke E. Steiner Lecture Fund.

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Abstract:

Intermolecular interactions govern the optical and electronic properties of organic semiconductor thin films. Optimizing the function of molecular devices such as organic solar cells and light emitting diodes relies on understanding structural effects in a heterogeneous film environment. Because organic thin films are typically more disordered than inorganic crystalline semiconductors, advanced techniques are often needed to sufficiently characterize these materials. However, polarized infrared reflectance measurements are a benchtop method that can provide well-resolved vibrational spectra with specificity in their molecular orientation. By using infrared reflectance-absorbance spectroscopy (IRRAS) alongside optical spectroscopic methods, we seek to further relate the effects of packing on thin film vibrational spectra, from a suite of prototypical organic semiconductor molecules with differing sidechain substitutions which adopt distinct crystal packing arrangements in thin films, to identifying and characterizing new ground state charge transfer complexes inspired by champion organic solar cell materials.