This research area centers on designing materials with tailored electronic, optical, magnetic, or ionic properties for applications spanning solar energy conversion, lighting, semiconductors, sensing, and quantum technologies. A major theme is the engineering of thin films and crystalline structures — from organic and molecular semiconductors to low-dimensional van der Waals materials and metal chalcogenides — where precise control over crystal growth, nucleation, and defect chemistry determines device performance. Work also spans excitonic and photophysical phenomena in molecular electronics for transparent solar cells and next-generation light-emitting diodes, alongside solid-state ionic materials for fuel cells, sensors, and emerging thermoelectric and quantum-enabled devices. A related thread investigates polymer- and biomolecule-based functional materials — including ion-conducting membranes, self-assembled block copolymers, and stimuli-responsive interfaces — that bridge soft-matter chemistry with electronic and energy-relevant function.
