tandrew

Trisha was recently named on the "Forbes 30 under 30 in energy" list by Forbes magazine (link).

Our research program focuses equally on synthesizing optically- and electronically-interesting materials, and fabricating optoelectronic or spintronic devices using these materials. We are interested in understanding the role of electron spin on organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and photovoltaic cells (OPVs). Additionally, we aim to demonstrate the utility of organic radical-containing materials in magnetic spin valves and magneto-optic devices.

Understanding the Effect of Electron Spin in Optoelectronic Devices

The electronic and morphological factors that affect charge separation events in organic optoelectronic devices have been (and continue to be) widely studied. However, using spin dynamics to control charge transport within individual molecules and thin films has received comparatively less attention. We aim to fabricate simple OLEDs and OPVs containing a redox-active organic radical interlayer and characterize the resulting effects on device metrics. This project involves synthesizing analogs of prevalent small-molecule and polymeric donor materials containing stable radical moieties and studying the effects of electron spin within specific layers of a nanostructured OLED and OPV.

Organic Nanostructured Magnetic and Magneto-Optic Devices

We are interested in studying spin-dependent charge transport in organic thin films. This project involves both the design of interesting, magnetically-active organic materials and the fabrication of appropriate device architectures that take advantage of our unique material systems. Examples of materials include: conjugated polymers containing either pendant or directly-conjugated organic radicals; and small-molecule organic radicals that can either be thermally-evaporated or possess anchoring groups, which will allow adsorption onto SiO2, metal oxides or carbon nanotubes. We aim to fabricate transistor-like spin valves using these materials to characterize their magnetic properties.

Selected Publications

Osedach, T. P.; Andrew, T. L.; Bulovic, V. “Effect of Synthetic Accessibility on the Commercial Viability of Organic Photovoltaics” Energy Environ. Sci. 2013, in press.

Andrew, T. L.; Lobez, J. M. L.; Bulovic, V.; Swager, T. M. “Improving the Performance of P3HT-Fullerene Solar Cells with Side-Chain-Functionalized Poly(thiophene) Additives:  A New Paradigm for Polymer Design” ACS Nano, 2012, 6, 3044-3056.

Andrew, T. L.; Bulovic, V. “Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells Containing 6,6-Dicyanofulvenes as n-Type Additives” ACS Nano, 2012, 6, 4671-4677.

Paydavosi, S.; Yaul, F.; Wang, A. I.; Andrew, T. L.; Bulovic, V.; Lang, J. H. “MEMS Switches Employing Active Metal-Polymer Nanocomposites” IEEE 25th International Conference on MEMS 2012, 180-183.

Andrew, T. L.; Swager, T. M. Selective Detection of High Explosives Via Photolytic Cleavage of Nitroesters and Nitramines. J. Org. Chem. 2011, 76, 2976-2993.

Andrew, T. L.; Swager, T. M. Structure Property Relationships for Exciton Transfer in Conjugated Polymers. J. Polym. Sci. B, 2011, 49, 476-498.

Andrew, T. L.; Tsai, H.-Y.; Menon, R. Confining Light to Deep Subwavelength Dimensions to Enable Optical Nanopatterning. Science, 2009, 324, 917-921.