UC Riverside

Harvesting solar energy is hindered by the financial difficulties in the creation of perfect crystal silicon-based photovoltaics. The study of energy flow through disordered systems is therefore in interest as a potential way to manufacture low-cost amorphous systems. It is shown through a series of time-resolved photon-counting fluorescence sensitization experiments that in a static system with disorder, anomalous diffusion results in that measured values for the exaction diffusion constants fall short of what is predicted for crystals based on traditional steady-state measurements for Forster parameters such as the Forster radius. Various strategies are discussed to successfully tune the degree of energy migration through disordered systems. The extent to which steady-state theory can be used as a simple tool in guiding the organic synthesis of potential active materials is brought to light.