The idea is to modulate the emission output of semiconductor QD as a function of the isomeric state of some photochromic molecules that will cover the surface of the QDs. Suppression of the emission will be achieved either by energy transfer (FRET) or electron transfer (PET). The goal is true optical logic components.
Stipend 1 (Bayreuth) - Optical Spectroscopy of Nanostructures.
Supervisor: J. Köhler, Spectroscopy of Soft Matter, UBT
Co-supervisor: P. Mulvaney, Chemistry, UoM
A logic gate generates a binary output "1" or "0" according to a combination of input stimuli and runs on electrons as signal carriers.
In this project, our aim is the development of devices for signal transduction that run on photons rather than on electrons for exploiting the parallelism that is inherently possible with optical signals.
We seek a PhD student with a background in laser spectroscopy to perform optical experiments on nanostructured arrays as part of the program optical logic gates.
The student will work at the Spectroscopy of Soft Matter group at the University of Bayreuth (see for example Ang. Chem. Int. Ed. (2011)), and will be able to spend one year in Australia during their PhD, studying nanofabrication of the arrays with collaborator Prof. Paul Mulvaney.
Stipend 2 (Melbourne) – Fabrication of Single Quantum Dot Arrays
Supervisor: P. Mulvaney, Chemistry, UoM
Co-Supervisor: J. Köhler, Spectroscopy of Soft Matter, UBT
Paul Mulvaney, together with Prof Jürgen Köhler (University of Bayreuth) is seeking a PhD student to lead the fabrication of nanocrystal arrays, as part of a program on exciton logic.
Optical computation is faster and more energy efficient than conventional electronic computation. Exciton logic gates form one basis for achieving optical computing.
The student will work at the Nanoscience Laboratories at University of Melbourne on the creation of arrays using electrophoretic deposition. This process is described in Adv. Optical Mater. (2022).
The student will be able to spend one year in Germany during their PhD, studying the optical properties of the arrays with Prof Köhler.
The project will suit a student with a background in spectroscopy, surface chemistry or materials science.
Stipend 3 (Melbourne) - Computational modelling of photo-switchable molecules
Supervisor: L. Goerigk, Theoretical Chemistry, UoM
Co-supervisor: S. Kümmel, Theoretical Physics, UBT
Project 5 deals with the computational modelling of photo-switchable molecules with quantum-chemical methods, mostly time-dependent Density Functional Theory (TD-DFT) methods developed by the Goerigk group at The University of Melbourne.
The results of the computational modelling and high-throughput screening will allow the fine-tuning of molecules to be used by our experimental partners in Melbourne and Bayreuth in conjunction with novel quantum dots. This means the PhD student will be in close touch with experimentalists to guide their developments.
In addition, there might be an opportunity to look into further method development of TD-DFT methods that are more robust, applicable and computationally efficient than the existing ones, subject to the candidate's skills.
The ideal candidate should have a Master’s degree in Chemistry or Physics (or a first-class Honours degree if coming from an Australian university) with some prior education and/or training in Theoretical or Computational Quantum Chemistry.
While not essential, any programming and scripting skills will be viewed favourably. The candidate should also have had some first-year maths during their undergraduate studies.
