The development of low-cost, lightweight, and flexible energy harvesting and storage devices are an enabling technology for many different applications. The fabrication of highly efficient power conversion and energy storage devices with high power and energy density are highly dependent on the materials and device structures used to make up the active components. Some of the factors limiting the performance of organic and nanoparticle-hybrid devices include poor spectral response and restricted charge transport. These effects can result from poor light absorption, increased carrier recombination, low electronic charge carrier mobilities, relatively random thin film morphologies, and/or limited ionic intercalation and conduction pathways. Our efforts to address these issues for a variety of devices (including photovoltaics and battery electrode materials) include developing materials and fabrication methodologies that result in highly ordered structures to permit enhanced charge transport and developing unique device configurations to facilitate light absorption and charge transfer. This talk will provide an overview of current state-of-the-art for these devices, highlight current barriers to improved performance, and describe a number of specific approaches being investigated to address these issues.
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