Title: Designing Light-Matter Interactions in Atomic and Molecular Solids
Abstract: Light-matter interactions are ubiquitous in modern civilization, underpinning innovations ranging from display technologies and solar-powered factories to biological imaging and quantum phenomena. Central to many of these advancements are excitons—bound pairs of electrons and holes created when light interacts with certain materials, leading to light emission. In this talk, I will discuss two design strategies I developed to control excitonic properties in ultra-thin atomic and molecular solids. First, I will introduce a substrate-directed synthesis method that precisely tunes the size and excitonic behavior of semiconductors without requiring expensive patterning techniques. Second, I will describe a scalable solid-state platform deliberately built from specific organic molecules and inorganic solids, unlocking excitonic properties that neither constituent exhibits alone. Alongside experimental results, I will discuss ab initio theoretical insights into the exceptional excitonic behavior of these systems, concluding with my vision for developing next-generation platforms for electronic, optoelectronic, and quantum applications.
Bio: Tom is currently a Kadanoff-Rice Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Chicago, where he develops new molecular 2D materials with Prof. Jiwoong Park. He earned his PhD in Chemistry from Johns Hopkins University, working with Prof. Tom Kempa on the rational design of quasi-1D inorganic semiconductor nanostructures. He completed his undergraduate studies in Chemistry at the University of Calcutta and IIT Guwahati. Tom is the recipient of the 2021 NSF-MRSEC Kadanoff-Rice Fellowship and the 2024 ACS Young Investigator Award in Experimental Physical Chemistry.
Host: Randall Goldsmith