Research Description:

Iain McCulloch’s research involves the design, synthesis and development of semiconducting small molecules and polymers for use as transistors for display, solar cells and most recently biological sensing. His efforts have focused on the understanding and control of microstructure and energy levels in conjugated aromatic semiconducting polymers and the subsequent impact on device properties. This has resulted in several commercial products including lithographic formulations and printable semiconducting inks. His research continues to broaden in scope, including making important contributions in organic photovoltaics, where he is exploring new electron acceptor materials, doping effects, and fundamental optical absorption phenomena. In addition, he is developing biological sensing and electrochemical devices, which have resulted in the first demonstration of solid-state optical semiconducting sensors for measurement of cations, as well as fundamental molecular design rules of semiconducting polymers for organic electrochemical transistors. Most recently, he has discovered that organic semiconducting nanoparticle blends are efficient photocatalysts for the production of hydrogen from water and the reduction of carbon dioxide.