Charge carrier recombination dynamics in semiconductor materials

Emerging research project on the focus area Sustainable materials and systems

Focus Institute: Kvantum

Faculty: Technology

Semiconducting materials are used in both photocatalytic and optoelectronic applications basically due to the same reason: they absorb photons while electrons are excited from the valence band to the conduction band thus creating electron-hole pairs that can participate in a number of events. In photocatalysis, these photogenerated charge carriers reduce as well as oxidize surface adsorbed moieties. However, a pitfall is the partial recombination of the carriers before their participation in the surface reactions. There are several approaches that can minimize this adverse effect, such as using co-catalysts and other semiconductors to form hybrid structures, which can enable efficient charge separation and limit recombination. We approach the research problem by developing novel perovskite-based materials and their hybrid structures to variety of applications and by studying the charge-carrier recombination dynamics in real conditions with advanced research methods.

Doctoral Researcher He Zhao

Tel.: +358 50 4727724, Email: he.zhao at oulu.fi