2DM4EH

Energy harvesters (EHs) can provide the low amount of power required by an endless number of “small” low power electronic devices, which are in enormous demand in diverse areas of technology such as IoT. Photovoltaic (PV) cells and radio-frequency rectifying antennae (rectennae) are two kinds of versatile EHs, which could offer an ideal solution to source power in this context. Layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are a class of semiconductors with a plethora of excellent electronic and mechanical properties, which can be combined and tuned to develop advanced lightweight and flexible devices in the field of energy harvesting. The goal of this proposal is to demonstrate and extend the potential of ultra-thin TMDCs and conjugated- polymers as building block for energy harvesters, tailoring their electronic properties to achieve novel functions, and unprecedented device efficiencies. Moreover, this project will tackle a crucial and exploratory challenge by proposing a framework to engineer on-demand electronic properties of the TMDCs according to specific device requirements. The TMDCs will be produced by innovative chemical vapor deposition techniques and combined with suitable absorber materials such as conjugated polymers for energy harvesting applications.