Project: Ternary mixing for organic photovoltaics with panchromatic absorption and improved stability

This position is one of the 10 Doctoral Candidate positions of the EIFFEL (EffIcient Fullerene-Free organic solar cELs) Doctoral Network, which focuses on the development of efficient NFAs, revealing the mechanisms of operation and degradation in NFA-based OSCs, and establishing synthetic strategies for their mitigation to form the basis for a new generation of OSCs - compatible with mass production - for successful commercialisation. The EIFFEL project offers the possibility to pursue the PhD within the Network at different universities/research centres/industrial companies from 7 European countries (Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Cyprus and France,). Background information on all DC positions is available on www.eiffelproject.eu.

EIFFEL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2022 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action Doctoral Networks (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-DN-01) scheme, grant agreement number: 101119780.

Project description:

Objectives: Explore the potential of solar cells with active layers based on ternary blends for the simultaneous improvement of efficiency and stability. The DC will be trained in state-of-the-art solution-processing technologies for the fabrication of lab-scale organic solar cells and modules using novel non-fullerene acceptors. The DC will learn to master a high throughput combinatorial screening methodology to explore bulk heterojunction ternary blends in a time and materials efficient manner. Ternary mixing allows the engineering of the cell absorption towards panchromatic response, with the expected increase in cell photocurrent. The recently reported alloy effect also suggests improvements in the open circuit voltage. Finally, several reports have demonstrated the vitrification effect of adding a second acceptor, and how this leads to enhanced thermal stability of the ternary systems. Compatibility between the different layers will also be investigated using the high throughput approach. Moreover, the DC will adapt the stack design to realise fully solution-processed modules with extended lifetime.

Expected Results.1) Better understanding of the capabilities of bulk heterojunction ternary blends to engineer absorption; 2) Design rules for the improvement in stability upon ternary mixing; 3) Successful integration of roll-to-roll compatible interlayers and electrodes.

The DC will travel abroad for research secondments at partner organisations of the EIFFEL Network and will participate in specialised training meetings and international conferences.

The DC will enroll in the doctoral student programme at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.

Appointment:

The appointment will be on a temporary basis for a maximum period of 36 months (PhD student, regular full-time employment contract). A very attractive salary plus allowances package according to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) – Doctoral Networks rules. 
https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/actions/doctoral-networks

Eligibility conditions:

Applicants can be of any nationality but in order to be eligible for the DC positions the following specific MSCA eligibility criteria apply:

The applicant must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies) in Spain for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date.

Candidate’s profile:

• Applicants must hold a Master’s degree or equivalent Material Science or Chemistry or Chemical Engineering or Electrical Engineering providing access to PhD programs and should have experience with experimental research.
• Applicants must have a very good knowledge (written & spoken) of the English language.
• Strong motivation and ability to collaborate in an interdisciplinary and international team.

How to apply:

To learn more about the application process, please, fill out the form below.

Further Information: 

• For additional information about this research project & DC position, please contact the scientist-in-charge / supervisor: Dr. Burgués-Ceballos ignasi.burgues.ceballos@upc.edu
• For additional information about administrative aspects, please contact: hello@eiffelproject.eu
• Some background material about host institution & research group can be found here: www.upc.edu/ and www.eiffelproject.eu.