The O'Carroll Group studies light generating and light harvesting processes in organic polymer semiconductor materials and plasmonic nanostructures. Our research has a number of end-uses such as: light-management in thin-film organic opto-electronic devices; optically-active electrodes; nanoscale optical devices; and environmentally-friendly electronics and photonics. Research areas include:

Nanophotonics for Organic Opto-Electronics.
We develop approaches to integrate nanophotonic and plasmonic structures in large-area organic opto-electronic devices such as solar cells, light-emitting diodes and lasers. In doing so, nanoscale structure phenomena can be utilized on macroscopic length scales to improve opto-electronic device quantum efficiency and enable efficient light-management in the active semiconductor material.

Photophysics of Organic Conjugated Polymer Semiconductors.
The photophysics, exciton and electron generation and transfer, and electronic processes in conjugated polymer materials depend sensitively on processing conditions. We study the interplay between process-induced molecular ordering and nanoscale confinement on the photophysical properties of conjugated polymer materials such as polyfluorenes and polythiophenes, as well as, soluble-derivatives of small conductive organic molecules such as phthalocyanines and fluorene-based conjugated oligomers.

Nanoscale Antennas, Waveguides, Cavities and Lasers.
We employ non-lithographic templating techniques to fabricate nanoscale photonic devices such as optical-frequency nanoantenna heterostructures, and organic polymer nanowire lasers and active waveguides. In particular, we study how plasmonic nanoantennas can modify and enhance the absorption and emission rate in organic semiconductor materials and how molecular ordering improves nanoscale organic photonic device performance.