Division Structure Analysis is currently seeking a student (w/m/d) for a bachelor or master thesis “Design of elastically flexible molecular crystals for efficient piezoelectric energy harvesting”
Description
In recent years, significant focus has been directed toward developing lead-free piezoelectric energy harvesting materials, which are essential for eco-friendly and flexible devices in wearable sensors and biomedical applications. However, many of these materials, whether inorganic or organic, are brittle, toxic, and rely on flexible polymer supports for practical device fabrication. On the other hand, flexible piezoelectric polymers lack structural information.
Advancements in crystal engineering have introduced mechanically flexible organic and organic-inorganic hybrid molecular crystals. Their single-crystalline nature facilitates a better understanding of structure-property relationships, enabling the design of materials with desired properties. As a result, these materials have demonstrated durable and efficient performance in applications such as flexible waveguides, optoelectronics, and field-effect transistors, even under repeated bending.
Building on these advancements, this project aims to design non-centrosymmetric, elastically bendable, and non-toxic organic and organic-inorganic hybrid molecular crystals. The primary objective is to explore the piezoelectric energy harvesting potential of these crystals across multiple bending cycles, focusing on achieving high piezoelectric responses and enhanced stress tolerance. A thorough investigation of the structure-property relationship will underpin the design strategy.
The project will utilize advanced characterization techniques, including single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), micro-focus synchrotron studies, piezometer measurements, and the fabrication and demonstartion of energy harvesting devices, to achieve these goals.
Qualifications
Studies of chemistry, materials science, physics or related subjects
Project Related Publications
[1] An Atomistic Mechanism for Elasto-Plastic Bending in Molecular Crystals; Biswajit Bhattacharya, Adam A. L. Michalchuk, Dorothee Silbernagl, Nobuhiro Ya-suda, Torvid Feiler, Heinz Sturm, Franziska Emmerling; Chemical Science, 14 (2023), 3441–3450. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2sc06470g
[2] Plastically Bendable Organic Crystals for Monolithic and Hybrid Micro-Optical Circuits; Jada Ravi, Torvid Feiler, Amit Mondal, Adam A. L. Michalchuk, C. Malla Reddy, Biswajit Bhattacharya, Franziska Emmerling, Rajadurai Chandrasekar; Ad-vanced Optical Materials, 10 (2022), 2201518. https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202201518
[3] Mechanistic Investigation of an Elastically Flexible Organic Crystal; Torvid Feiler, Nobuhiro Yasuda, Adam A. L. Michalchuk, Franziska Emmerling, Biswajit Bhattacharya; Crystal Growth & Design, 23 (2023), 6244–6249. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.3c00473
Contact
Dr. Biswajit Bhattacharya
Abteilung 6 Materialchemie
phone: 030-8104-3350
email: biswajit.bhattacharya@bam.de
Dr. Franziska Emmerling
Abteilung 6 Materialchemie
phone: 030-8104-1133
email: Franziska.emmerling@bam.de