Project R-2145

Charge transfer in semiconducting polymer / CVD diamond heterostructures (Research)

The general objective of this project proposal is the study of the formation and the characterisation of organic materials/diamond heterostructures. Besides the fundamental interest in investigating different aspects of this new class of material systems, such structures can play an important role in future photovoltaic applications, photoelectrochemistry, etc. The key issues of the project are the deposition of new conjugated polymers and short change organic molecules, tailored for attachment to differently terminated diamond surfaces, the physical and chemical bonding between these two materials, and the examination of the possible charge-transfer mechanisms that will occur. The project will be built up around two major parts: I) the formation of organic/diamond heterostructures on the basis of short chain organic molecules, polymers and thin CVD diamond films, including structural and morphological characterisation; II) the (opto-)electronic characterisation of the heterostructures with focus on the charge transfer mechanism between the two material systems. These goals will be reached by a close collaboration between the Institute of Materials Research (IMO) of the Hasselt University (part I) and the Experimental Condensed Matter (ECM) physics research group of the University of Antwerp (part II). Although both partners have extensive know-how with proven track records in certain aspects of this proposal, for the first time this knowledge will be combined to study the mentioned heterostructures. This interdisciplinary approach guarantees the necessary level of expertise in all the underlying fields of the proposal and will lead to a further positioning of both partners within the very competitive international research field of carbon based materials.

01 January 2010 - 31 December 2010