Research

My project focuses on singlet fission—a process by which an excited singlet localized on one molecule is converted to two triplets on adjacent molecules. In a dye-sensitized solar cell, singlet fission can reduce heat losses that occur during the charge injection process at the interface of the chromophore and the semiconductor nanoparticle.

For singlet fission to occur, the energy of a molecule’s singlet state must be approximately twice that of its triplet state (T1). While singlet fission has mainly been observed in crystalline species by indirect methods, I am interested in seeing if it is possible to produce direct proof of this process in solution. To that end, I am using EPR to see if it is possible to distinguish triplet populations that arise from intersystem crossing and those that arise from singlet fission.