The interdepartemental research group M2N investigates and develops functional molecular materials and nanosystems with tailored physical properties. Examples of applications are in organic and polymer solar cells, light-emitting diodes, electrochemical and photovoltaic cells, and solar fuels.

From the molecule to the device

The Molecular Materials and Nanosystems (M2N) group is active in both the department of Applied Physics and the department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. We combine expertise from these disciplines in a coherent research program on nanostructured materials and nano-sized organic and inorganic molecular systems. Our drive is to understand the underlying physical phenomena by studying systems of reduced dimensionality down to the molecular level. Our research regarding molecules, macromolecules and (nano)structured materials has led to notable achievements in a variety of applications.

Our thorough understanding of the subtle interactions of light with the chemical and electronic structures at the nanoscale has led to major improvements in the efficiency of polymer solar cells. Our study and modelling of organic light emitting devices (OLEDs) - from the fundamental opto-electronic processes at the molecular level towards the performance of a working device - are of industrial relevance. Other focus areas of our research are improving the efficiency of multi-junction molecular solar-to-electricity conversion devices, and establishing solar-to-fuel conversion using organic semiconductors in a process mimicking natural photosynthesis.

In our research we combine synthetic chemistry, advanced optical spectroscopy, and morphological characterization with fabricating, characterizing and modeling of prototype optoelectronic devices to obtain insights that are essential for future developments. In exploring new functional materials we work along the line molecule-material-device, with the idea that ultimately control on every length scale and every interface is required to reach the intrinsic limits of the special properties of functional molecular and polymer materials.