Laura Herz

Supernumerary Fellow in Physics; Professor of Physics

Teaching

I currently lecture Electromagnetism to first-year Physics undergraduates and part of the final-year option course in Condensed Matter Physics. I am also a co-director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Plastic Electronics for which I teach a module on Optical Spectroscopy.

Research

Research in the Herz group explores the fundamental science and applications of semiconducting materials and nanostructures ranging from organic molecules and solids, inorganic semiconductors & nanostructures, to hybrid systems such as dye-sensitized metal oxides and organic-inorganic perovskites. Current work focuses on common themes such as energy and charge transfer, molecular self-assembly, bio-mimetic light-harvesting, nanoscale electronic phenomena and interfacial effects. The group has leading expertize in femtosecond spectroscopic techniques, and applies this to unravel the ultrafast dynamics of excitations in a diverse range of semiconductor and nanostructures. Close collaborations exist with device physicists, theoretical researchers, synthetic chemists and materials scientists in order to advance the development of these novel materials for energy harvesting, with a particular current focus on next-generation photovoltaic cells.

Selected Publications

Photovoltaic mixed-cation lead mixed-halide perovskites: links between crystallinity, photo-stability and electronic properties, W. Rehman, D. P. McMeekin, J. B. Patel, R. L. Milot, M. B. Johnston, H. J. Snaith, and L. M. Herz, Energy Environ. Sci. 10, pp. 361-369 (2017).

Electron-phonon coupling in hybrid lead halide perovskites, A. D. Wright, C. Verdi, R. L. Milot, G. E. Eperon, M. A. Pérez-Osorio, H. J. Snaith, F. Giustino, M. B. Johnston, and L. M. Herz, Nature Communications 7, 11755 (2016).

A mixed-cation lead mixed-halide perovskite absorber for tandem solar cells,
D. P. McMeekin, G. Sadoughi, W. Rehman, G. E. Eperon, M. Saliba, M. T. Hörantner, A. Haghighirad, N. Sakai, L. Korte, B. Rech, M. B. Johnston, L. M. Herz, and H. J. Snaith, Science 351, pp. 151-155 (2016).

Ultrafast delocalization of excitations in synthetic light-harvesting nanorings, C.-K. Yong, P. Parkinson, D. V. Kondratuk, W-H. Chen, A. Stannard, A. Summerfield, J. K. Sprafke, M. C O’Sullivan, P.H. Beton, H. L. Anderson, L.M. Herz, Chemical Science 6, pp. 181-189 (2015).

High charge carrier mobilities and lifetimes in organo lead halide perovskites, C. Wehrenfennig, G. E. Eperon, M. B. Johnston, H. J. Snaith, and L. M. Herz, Adv. Mater. 26, pp. 1584-1589 (2014).

Ultrafast energy transfer in biomimetic multistrand nanorings, P. Parkinson, C. E. I. Knappke, N. Kamonsutthipaijit, K. Sirithip, J. D. Matichak, H. L. Anderson, and L. M. Herz, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 136, pp. 8217-8220 (2014).

Strong carrier lifetime enhancement in GaAs nanowires coated with semiconducting polymer, C. K. Yong, K. Noori, Q. Gao, H. J. Joyce, H. H. Tan, C. Jagadish, F. Giustino, M. B. Johnston, and L. M. Herz, Nano Lett. 12, pp. 6293-6301 (2012).

Electron mobility and injection dynamics in mesoporous ZnO, SnO2, and TiO2 films used in dye-sensitized solar cells,
P. Tiwana, P. Docampo, M. B. Johnston, H. J. Snaith, and L. M. Herz, ACS Nano 5, pp. 5158-5166 (2011).