Sir Richard Friend: Interconversion of light and electricity in molecular semiconductors

Add to your list(s) Download to your calendar using vCal

• Sir Richard Friend, Cavendish Laboratory
• Tuesday 12 November 2019, 19:00-20:00
• McGrath Centre, St Catharine's College, Cambridge.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact st716.

Event is open for everyone, snacks, drinks provided.

Professor Friend is the current Cavendish Professor of Physics (same position that Maxwell, Rayleigh, J.J. Thomson and Rutherford held). He pioneered the study of organic polymers and the electronic properties of molecular semiconductors which led to the invention of multiple devices, most recently the OLE Ds. He is considered to be most cited scientist in the UK. Also, Professor Friend is the Director of the Winton Programme for the Physics of Sustainability and Co-Founder of Cambridge Display Technology.

Professor Friend writes: “Carbon-based molecular semiconductor devices can be engineered to allow very efficient conversion of electrical energy to light (in smart phone OLED displays). They can also provide thin-film solar cells that share some of the operating mechanisms that are used in photosynthesis. I will discuss some of the underlying science that makes this possible and some of the engineering challenges to bring this to practical implementations.”

What makes a good scientific idea? Is it merely about luck and chance or creativity/combination skills also matter? How can we best utilise them? Also, how can a idea born in the lab conquer the world and what are the main roadblocks on the way? Why do so many new startups fail? Besides from a journey into science, Professor Friend’s lecture will also contain hints to these questions based on his own experiences.

This talk is part of the St Catharine's College John Ray Society. series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• McGrath Centre, St Catharine's College, Cambridge
• St Catharine's College John Ray Society.

Note that ex-directory lists are not shown.