Shaun McAnally

PhD Student in Materials Science

Bachelor of Advanced Science (Physics)
Hons I

s.mcanally@uq.edu.au

CV | UQ Researchers | LinkedIn

I am a PhD student working at the Centre for Organic Photonics & Electronics at The University of Queensland.

My research focus is the application of cutting-edge organic semiconductor materials in next-generation photovoltaic devices. Using organic semiconductor materials, it is possible to fabricate semi-transparent large-area solar panels on flexible substrates at a lower cost than existing technology. I fabricate and test organic photovoltaic devices to learn more about the underlying physical processes that enable this technology.

In 2021, I completed an honours research project investigating whether it would be possible to maintain good organic photovoltaic (OPV) device performance while simplifying the composition of the active layer (the layer responsible for the generation of charges). The active layer of the best performing OPV devices are typically composed of (approximately) equal quantities of donor and acceptor organic semiconductor materials. In my research, I reduced the quantity of donor material from 50% (by weight) to only 10% with the intent of simplifying consistent large-scale fabrication of these devices. My results indicated that, using leading organic semiconductor materials, it is possible to maintain strong device performance while significantly reducing the content of donor material. My accepted thesis is here.

Selected Publications

The Carbon Almanac | I was a developmental and copy editor for the first edition of this almanac which was produced by a global team of collaborators. We created an engaging and useful resource that was made to start informed discussion that leads to concrete action on the most pressing issue of our time. You can pick up a copy of this book here.

Mallo, N.; McAnally, S.; Chu, R.; Babazadeh, M.; Jin, H.; Burn, P. L.; Gentle, I. R.; Shaw, P. E. The Effect of Fluorination on the Low and High Frequency Dielectric Constants of Non-Polymeric Organic Semiconductors – towards Homojunction Solar Cells. J. Mater. Chem. C 2023, 10.1039/D3TC02740F.