Project Grant 2151869

This Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems, under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), provides $149,503 to Purdue University and the University of St. Thomas to support collaborative research on photoswitchable interlayer exciton devices from two-dimensional hybrid heterostructures through August 2025. The universities will investigate modulating the formation and behavior of interlayer excitons in atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides like MoS2 and WSe2 by interfacing them with functional organic layers containing photosensitive molecules. The research will combine experimental measurements, modeling, and computation to elucidate fundamental interactions and properties. It also includes an educational outreach component to advance nanoscience understanding. The goal is to demonstrate 2D heterostructured hybrid devices employing photochromic molecules and study related optoelectronic properties, gaining insights applicable to novel optoelectronic devices.