Understanding and Directing Energy Flow Using Semiconducting Carbon Nanotubes
Abstract
The purpose of this grant is to understand and learn to control energy transfer in thin films made from semiconducting carbon nanotubes. Thin films of semiconducting carbon nanotubes are a new type of mesoscale material. The properties are largely unexplored but should exhibit new phenomena that can be utilized in next generation electronics. Under the support of the AFOSR, we have made the first measurements of exciton (energy) transport in these thin films using unique ultrafast 2D technology that we have developed. The current understanding of exciton transfer in these materials has come almost entirely from these experiments, Monte-Carlo modeling, and theory developed during our AFOSR funding. We also spent significant effort developing a 2nd-generation 2D White Light spectrometer and, using DURIP funds, a 2D White Light microscope, which is a first-of-its-kind instrument. Taken together, we made foundational contributions to the science and engineering of these films and the technology to study them and other materials. Using the information gained from our studies, we created new films with 10-times faster rates, rivaling the ultrafast transfer rates known to exist along the length of individual tubes. We published, submitted, or have prepared 11 manuscripts, in which we reported on the fundamental physics of nanotube films, the materials science of film preparation and device performance, and the technological developments and applications of new 2D spectroscopies and microscopies. These developments are exciting because they indicate that nanotube films are well-suited for new use in photovoltaics, photodetectors, and other devices, as initially conceived.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 07, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1086091
Entities
People
- Martin T. Zanni
Organizations
- University of Wisconsin System