Postdoctoral Fellowship: MPS-Ascend: Increasing the Rate of Singlet Fission through Strong Coupling

Patel, Shreya Kiritbhai, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

Shreya K. Patel is awarded an NSF Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (NSF MPS-Ascend) to conduct a program of research and activities related to broaden participation by groups underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). This fellowship to Dr. Patel supports the research project entitled “MPS-Ascend: Increasing the Rate of Singlet Fission through Strong Coupling” under the mentorship of a sponsoring scientist. The host institution for the fellowship is Northwestern University, and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Teri Odom. This proposal plans to study the conversion of an excited singlet state down to two triplets (known as singlet fission) that could dramatically improve the efficiency of solar cells by down-converting high energy photons into a more useful energy range. Pentacene and perylene di-imide will be investigated as singlet fission chromophores. The proposed work will investigate polariton-assisted singlet fission using plasmonic nanoparticles arranged in a new architecture that doesn’t require mirrors and can allow for facile tuning of the photonic mode by changing the dielectric constant of the solvent around the plasmonic nanoparticles. The proposal seeks to advance the polariton-assisted singlet fission process through surface lattice resonances and make it more practical for energy harvesting applications. Successful implementation of this work may allow for the development of more efficient optoelectronic devices. The PI intends to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in science by mentorship, advocacy, and public outreach activities. The PI plans to mentor students to provide them with the tools and encouragement they need to pursue and stay in the science disciplines. The PI intends to join the Northwestern Chemistry CARES committee to improve diversity within the department, and to participate in efforts on the Northwestern University campus to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion in the community. Finally, the PI plans to join the Science in Society group at Northwestern University to improve awareness and knowledge of science in the greater Chicago area by hosting an after school program with scientific experiments for students, hosting teacher workshops, and visiting schools to present science demonstrations to younger students. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.