Burning of carbon-rich substances (such as coal) has been a major source of energy we use today. It not only depletes resources but also adversely impact the environment. We have been exploring renewable ways to use carbon for energy with colloidal graphene quantum dots (QDs), one of which is for light harvesting in solar cells. In my presentation I will talk about photoluminescence and hot-carrier relaxation dynamics in the graphene QDs. In addition, I will show our recent results on the electron transfer dynamics between the QDs and TiO2 as a function of the graphene structure.  These studies can provide important insight on the relaxation pathways after photoexcitation in these QDs, which enables us to better harness the solar radiation for renewable energy applications.

Energy relaxation and electron transfer in colloidal graphene quantum dots

244th National Meeting (2012)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.