(Cohort 2023)
Single-Component Organic Photovoltaics: Closing the Efficiency and Stability Gap
Energy & Industrial Leadership
Frederic Laquai
Yakun He received her Ph.D. from Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Germany, in 2021 under the supervision of Prof. Christoph J. Brabec. She has then joined KAUST as a Postdoctoral Researcher. Her research centers on the stability and photophysics of materials and devices for photovoltaic applications. Through her fellowship research, Yakun aims to address the core stability limitations in organic solar cells (OSCs) by focusing on single-component materials (SCMs), which link donors and acceptors in one molecule or polymer, offering a promising alternative to the less stable bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) structure. Her project will use ultrafast spectroscopy and device characterization to investigate SCM charge carrier dynamics, aiming to bridge the efficiency gap with BHJ OSCs. Additionally, she will assess SCM stability under various aging conditions, with the goal of developing single-component organic solar cells (SCOSCs) capable of achieving 10% efficiency and a 20-year operational lifetime.