Research Mission
Optical spectroscopy (absorption and emission, raman scattering, ultrafast laser spectroscopy) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR; continuous and pulsed, in X-band, 9.5 GHz, and at high frequency in W-band, 95 GHz) spectroscopy are applied in the research group in order to investigate the properties of different condensed matter systems, and in particular:
- Defects and impurities in technologically relevant crystalline materials e.g., bismuth germanate, BGO, as photorefractive material, respectively, and the superhard cubic boron nitride (c-BN) for (opto)electronics in special environments.
- Metal/semiconductor and metal/insulator/semiconductor structures with spin polarised injection and collection of electrons for application in the new field of spintronics.
- Molecular compounds with special magnetic properties, including high-spin transition metal clusters with so-called "single-molecule magnet" behaviour.
- Organic and organometallic molecular compounds with nonlinear optical (NLO) properties for applications in opto-electronics and photonics.
- Nanostructured composite materials, based on arylene-vinylene derivatives and fullerenes, for organic opto-electronics and in particular photovoltaics.
- Single-wall carbon nanotubes and their composites with organic compounds studied by optical and EPR spectroscopy, taking advantage of the original solubilisations methods.
To a large extent, the optical and EPR instruments are shared with the BIMEF research group of Prof. dr. J. Dirkx and Prof. dr. S. Van Doorslaer, and the two groups join forces in several topics of research. The ECM team collaborates intensively with materials preparation laboratories, applied research groups and theoreticians, within the university as well as outside of it, worldwide.