CDT in New and Sustainable PV Experimental Methods Module Introduction Prof David Lidzey

Welcome to Sheffield!

Course objectives Provide you with a firm grounding in at least 7 practical areas that will be of use in your PhD research. Understand how to synthesize ideas from the literature. Training in the use of Python for data analysis. Understand the commercialization of organic electronics by an SME. Encourage you to work together collaboratively. Help develop your practical skills.

Course structure First two days: lectures on background material to the experiments. Five days spent on practical work using a range of experimental techniques. One day on a practical Python course. One day spent with the company Ossila Ltd. One day set aside for you to write-up your results.

Course timetable

Lectures Monday 9th January 12:45 – 13:00: Introduction to the course: David Lidzey 13:00 – 14:00: Atomic force microscopy: Jamie Hobbs 14:00 – 15:00: High-vacuum techniques: Alastair Buckley BREAK 16:00 – 17:00: Optical spectroscopy: Jenny Clark Tuesday 10th January 09:00 – 10:00: Scanning Electron Microscopy: Conny Rodenburg 10:00 – 11:00: Grazing incidence X-ray scattering: Alan Dunbar 11:30 – 12:30: Raman spectroscopy: David Lidzey 12:30 – 13:30: Using Web of Science: Oliver Allchin

Assignments Tomorrow, there is a literature review assignment that must be completed by the end of the day. You have 3 hours to do this. Log onto Web of Science (http://apps.webofknowledge.com/), and perform a literature search to identify two or three high-impact papers from the literature that have used one of the experimental-techniques discussed in the lectures.   Write a brief summary of each paper you have chosen (not more than 300 words per paper), describing the main findings of the work, and discussing how the technique was used to that study the particular material system. Then compare how the techniques were used in the two papers, and identify similarities or differences in the experimental approaches (not more than 300 words).

Experimental lab rotations Optical spectroscopy of organic semiconductors Atomic Force and scanning electron Microscopy High vacuum system and thermal imaging GiSAXS and GiWAXS Fabrication and testing of polymer photovoltaic devices

Experimental Rotations You will undertake the experiments in a small group of three students. You are free to choose who you want to work with.

Lab Rotation assignments You and your group will each do 5 lab rotations. You will do 5 experiments. You should use any free time you have, together with a ‘free-day’ to write up the results of two of the experiments of your choice. Your write-up should be written in the style of a scientific paper. You paper should include up to 4 – 5 figures, 2500 words of text (maximum) and appropriate references.

Ossila Ltd You will spend a morning with Ossila Ltd. You will learn about what the company produces and the technologies it has developed. You will understand how a small internet-based company operates in practice.

Marking All work will be marked. The literature assignment carries 6 points (maximum). Lab write-up 1 and 2 each carry 12 points (maximum). Total mark / 30.

Video diary We would like you to make a short video about one of the experiments that you are working on. This should briefly describe the experiment and provide hints and tips for other students who will work on it. Please pass this to Rob Trehearne This is not assessed.

Locations Optical and Raman spectroscopy and Vacuum experiments located in the 2nd / 3rd year lab. Deposition and metrology of thin-films can be done in in the C21 clean-room. AFM experiment in lab C28. SEM imaging to be done in Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. Polymer photovoltaics to be fabricated in lab C21. Python training to be done on 3rd year lab. Ossila Ltd based in Kroto Innovation Centre on North Campus Sheffield. Computers available in second-year lab for write-ups and assignments.

Meals and entertainment Coffee and tea, and lunch will be provided tomorrow only. For the rest of the course, you are expected to find your own lunch. This evening, we will have some drinks in ‘Brewdog’ on Division street, then go for a curry at ‘Butlers Balti House’ on Broad Lane.