Speaker: Marina S. Leite, UMCP
Program Description
My research group is engaged in fundamental and applied research in materials for
energy harvesting and storage, and nanophotonics. The performance of most photovoltaic
devices is still limited by their mesoscale behavior. To resolve how the electrical and optical
responses vary at relevant length scales, we acquire nanoscale resolved “photographs” of the
performance of inhomogeneous materials for photovoltaics, by means of novel
nanospectroscopic methods. Our measurements provide a tomography of charge carrier
generation, recombination and collection within materials ranging from well-established thin
films to emerging perovskites. In the realm of energy storage, the further development of
rechargeable, safe batteries requires the understanding of why and how the material is changing
upon charging/discharging. We elucidate the dynamics of lithiation/delithiation in all-solid-state
batteries through in situ electron microscopy methods. Finally, concerning optical materials, we
overcome the constraint imposed by the pre-defined dielectric functions of noble metals by
alloying, where we have recently developed a library of their optical properties. Further, we
implemented a novel platform for the design and fabrication of these alloyed thin films and
nanostructures with on demand optical response for applications ranging from metamaterials to
displays and catalysis.
