This talent attraction program is supported by the European Union (Marie Curie actions of FP7), the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and Banco Santander.
How much of your research is Physics and how much is Chemistry?
Materials science is an interdisciplinary field in which physicists, chemists, and engineers work together, contributing different perspectives on the same problem in their pursuit of a common goal: the development and improvement of existing materials. The main objective of materials science is to address the needs of contemporary society through innovation. Some of the topics currently being explored include reducing energy consumption in devices, increasing the energy storage capacity of batteries, and developing systems that offer solutions based on renewable energies and are therefore capable of capturing energy from sunlight, wind, and the earth (geothermal).
What are the applications of organic semiconductors?
Organic semiconductors are capable of offering solutions to the various problems we face today through the intelligent use of their intrinsic properties (they are inexpensive, flexible, transparent, and lightweight), leading to new concepts and designs for electronic devices. The best example is found in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). They were the first devices based on organic materials to be mass-produced and have revolutionized the display industry by offering hardware that consumes significantly less energy, delivers higher quality, and requires less physical space. Today, we can find them in mobile phones and ultra-thin, high-resolution televisions, enabling unique solutions such as curved televisions and transparent displays.
Where are we headed in this field?
A group of devices, including organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs), field-effect transistors (OFETs), and lasers (OSLs), are very promising candidates to follow the same path as OLEDs and dominate part of the market in their own segments, although their still low performance is delaying their large-scale commercialization.
To what extent could the performance of OPVs or OLED technology be increased?
Today, the OLED industry is highly advanced, and extremely efficient devices are available on the market. Current challenges lie in perfecting display properties and developing lighting devices for interior spaces and architectural applications. OPV technology has reached a level where it can compete in some areas with various photovoltaic technologies, although its overall efficiency still needs improvement (the current efficiency record is around 12%, and theoretically it could reach between 20% and 24%).
What is the objective of your research at UC3M?
The goal of the project I am developing is to offer a detailed understanding of the dynamics of excitons in conjugated organic materials through computational methods in order to improve the efficiency of electronic devices based on organic materials so that they can be commercialized.
How does he plan to achieve this?
This will be achieved by developing a theoretical tool capable of more realistically describing the dynamics of energy and charge transport between organic molecules, in order to validate and evaluate information currently inaccessible through experimental techniques. This will allow us to uniquely understand the parameters governing these mechanisms, resulting in time and cost savings in the synthesis of new compounds. This will be accomplished by verifying energy transfer (ET) and charge transfer (CT) properties prior to synthesis, while simultaneously enabling the development of new organic electronics device designs by aiding in the description and tuning of their relevant properties.
What methodology do you use in your research?
The most commonly adopted methodologies for describing long-term ET dynamics for systems where an analytical solution is not possible rely on stochastic methods that solve the Pauli master equations or on a static approach based on extracting molecular conformations from classical molecular dynamics simulations used in predicting ET and CT dynamics using the kinetic Monte Carlo method on a frozen snapshot. In this project, we will integrate these different steps into one to reduce and avoid the loss of electronic and structural information essential for obtaining a detailed prediction of dynamic properties.
What is the most complicated aspect of conducting this research?
I would say that every step in a research project is important, from the initial conception to its implementation and validation. Decisions must be made at every stage of a project, and there are different approaches, often without prior knowledge of the outcome. I would argue that the most important step in this project will be validating the methodology. This will allow us to guide the project's development in specific directions and, over time, transfer this methodology to different types of systems.
Does it use computational methods? Are they related to the MView software it created?
MView is software I have been developing over the past few years to centralize and generalize computational methods. Currently, its main objective is to provide tools that aid in the analysis and visualization (through an OpenGL interface) of molecular properties and dynamics. The theoretical tools resulting from the CONEX program will also be incorporated, leading to a more user-friendly interface and making it easier for other researchers to use.
What benefits does research at UC3M within the framework of the CONEX program offer you?
I believe the CONEX program offers me a great opportunity to focus on my research interests, allowing me to conduct independent research and develop theoretical tools for investigating the dynamic processes occurring in organic semiconductors. UC3M has proven to be an environment that provides the necessary financial, technological, and personnel support for the program's success.
Where were you working before coming to UC3M within the framework of CONEX?
Before coming to UC3M, I worked at several centers of excellence in Europe, the United States, and Brazil. I graduated in Physics from the University of Campinas and earned a master's degree from the University of São Paulo, Brazil. In 2007, I began my doctoral thesis at the University of Mons, Belgium, under the supervision of Dr. Jérôme Cornil. There, I studied and characterized ET and CT in supramolecular host-type systems using quantum mechanical computational tools, with the ultimate goal of developing new designs for organic devices. After completing my thesis, I joined Dr. Jean-Luc Brédas's research group at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where I focused my research on understanding CT processes at typical organic and inorganic interfaces found in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). In 2012 I joined Dr. Benedetta Mennucci at the University of Pisa, where I was able to put my previous knowledge into practice by researching the properties of ET in biological light-harvesting complexes, contributing to the understanding of the photosynthesis process in plants and bacteria.
Scientific Information Office of the Carlos III University of Madrid (UC3M):
http://portal.uc3m.es/portal/page/portal/actualidad_cientifica/noticias/Entrevista_Lucas_Viani
Additional video interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sag4MgwyaQ
