Professor Robert Taylor

Abstract:

Semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes are one-dimensional materials with great prospects for applications such as optoelectronic and quantum information devices. Yet, their optical performance is hindered by low fluorescent yield. Highly mobile excitons interacting with quenching sites are attributed to be one of the main non-radiative decay mechanisms that shortens the exciton lifetime. In this paper we report on time-integrated photoluminescence measurements on individual polymer wrapped semiconducting carbon nanotubes. An ultra narrow linewidth we observed demonstrates intrinsic exciton dynamics. Furthermore, we identify a state filling effect in individual carbon nanotubes at cryogenic temperatures as previously observed in quantum dots. We propose that each of the CNTs is segmented into a chain of zero-dimensional states confined by a varying local potential along the CNT, determined by local environmental factors such as the amount of polymer wrapping. Spectral diffusion is also observed, which is consistent with the tunneling of excitons between these confined states.

Abstract:

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides exhibit strong optical transitions with significant potential for optoelectronic devices. In particular they are suited for cavity quantum electrodynamics in which strong coupling leads to polariton formation as a root to realisation of inversionless lasing, polariton condensation and superfluidity. Demonstrations of such strongly correlated phenomena to date have often relied on cryogenic temperatures, high excitation densities and were frequently impaired by strong material disorder. At room-temperature, experiments approaching the strong coupling regime with transition metal dichalcogenides have been reported, but well resolved exciton-polaritons have yet to be achieved. Here we report a study of monolayer WS2 coupled to an open Fabry-Perot cavity at room-temperature, in which polariton eigenstates are unambiguously displayed. In-situ tunability of the cavity length results in a maximal Rabi splitting of ~ΩRabi = 70 meV, exceeding the exciton linewidth. Our data are well described by a transfer matrix model appropriate for the large linewidth regime. This work provides a platform towards observing strongly correlated polariton phenomena in compact photonic devices for ambient temperature applications.

Abstract:

We present a series of fullerene derivatives and a study on their photoluminescence properties, complete with their efficiency as singlet oxygen generation photosensitizers. We demonstrate the intramolecular charge transfer between pyrene donor and fullerene acceptor. The opposite effect in decay lifetime measurements is observed for the mono and bis adducts of C60 and C70 for the first time, indicating an interplay between charge-separation and locally excited states. A monoexponential decay was observed for the mono adduct of C60 and the bis adduct of C70, while a biexponential decay was observed for the bis adduct of C60 and the mono adduct of C70. The effect of these molecules as sensitizers of the singlet oxygen radical was tested using detailed 3D excitation photoluminescence maps. A quenching of the singlet oxygen for the C60-mono and C70-bis adducts was observed while a strong photosensitizing effect was observed for the C60-bis and C70-mono adducts.