On April 4th, Dr. Albert Artigas started his MSCA post-docotral project entitled singlet fission in fullerene-based single-material organic solar cells (Full-Fission) under the supervision of Prof. Miquel Solà and co-supervision of Prof. Anna Roglans at the Institute of Computational Chemistry and Catalysis (IQCC) of the University of Girona (UdG). This 2-year fellowship will allow Dr. Albert Artigas to start a new project devoted to the in silico design, synthesis and implementation of fullerene dyads incorporating singlet fission chromophores. As part of his research, the fellow will carry out a secondment at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia(ICIQ) under the supervision of Prof. Emilio Palomares.
About of the Full-Fission project:
Photovoltaics is, to date, the most promising of all technologies to produce clean and renewable energy. Currently in use silicon-based solar cells have reached power conversion efficiencies as high as 26%, but their fabrication involves expensive and contaminating processes. Moreover, further improvement of their efficiency is restricted to around 30% by the so-called Shockley-Queisser (SQ) limit. Potential solutions to these problems may involve moving from inorganic to organic materials. In this sense, organic solar cells (OSCs) represent a promising alternative to replace silicon because of their low cost, flexibility, and manageable nature. Single-material organic solar cells (SMOSCs), a particular class of OSCs in which the donor and acceptor materials are covalently linked, are particularly attractive because of their facilitated fabrication processes, improved stability, morphology, and reproducibility. On the other hand, to enhance the efficiency beyond the theoretical SQ limit, the use of sensitizing singlet fission (SF) chromophores has been proposed. These materials can form two triplet excitons from a single absorbed photon, thus raising the External Quantum Efficiency of solar cells up to 200%. The aim of the Full-Fission action is to combine the potentialities of both approaches to fabricate efficient SMOSCs that incorporate fullerenes functionalized with SF moieties as the active layer. The Full-Fission action is conceived as a holistic approach that will combine computationally assisted materials design, synthesis, and device fabrication in an interconnected and interdisciplinary project developed by a researcher with experience in all these disciplines.
About Albert:
Dr. Albert Artigas is a MSCA postdoctoral researcher engaged in experimental and theoretical investigations focused on polycyclic (anti)aromatic hydrocarbons and fullerenes for photovoltaic applications. He conducts research at the DiMoCaT group at the Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi (IQCC) and the University of Girona (UdG, Spain), starting in April 2023, thanks to a Margarita Salas postdoctoral fellowship (REQ2021). Prior to assuming his current position, he spent 2.5 years at the laboratories of the Institut des Sciences Moléculaires de Marseille (ISM2, France) from September 2020 until March 2023, working in the synthesis and functionalization of highly contorted chiral multi-helicenes. He combined combined his experimental research with theoretical studies on the (anti)aromaticity of contorted PAHs and its connection with their physicochemical properties. He completed his doctoral studies in chemistry with the highest qualification of Excellent Cum Laude in January 2020. He carried out doctoral research at the IQCC under the supervision of Prof. Anna Roglans, Prof. Miquel Solà and Dr. Agustí Lledó between December 2015 and January 2020, thanks to a predoctoral contract for the training of doctors (FPI, 2015 call). During his thesis he worked in the field of transition metal-catalyzed cycloaddition reactions applied to fullerene functionalization, which he studied both from an experimental and theoretical perspective. He also spent 3 months in the laboratories of Professor Luís Echegoyen (University of Texas at El Paso, USA), where he was trained in fullerene functionalization for photovoltaic applications. Albert completed a Master’s degree in Organic Chemistry at the University of Barcelona (UB) from September 2014 to July 2015. During that period he carried out a research internship at the Pharmaceutical Chemistry Unit of the Faculty of Pharmacy of the same university under the supervision of Prof. Diego Muñoz-Torrero. He obtained a 5-year degree in Pharmacy at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the UB in 2014. He carried out two research internships: (i) at the Pharmaceutical Chemistry Unit of the Faculty of Pharmacy (UB) under the supervision of Prof. Diego Muñoz-Torrero, and (ii) at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (Dublin) under the supervision of Prof. Mauro Adamo.
Girona, April 9th, 2024
For more info: ges.iqcc@udg.edu