Organic and organic/inorganic hybrid semiconductors are nowadays applied in a plethora of devices such as thin-film transistors, sensors, light-emitting diodes, thermoelectric generators, photodetectors and solar cells due to their ease of processing, their light weight, and their favorable mechanical properties. The dramatic increase in the performance observed for many devices, especially for third generation photovoltaics based on solution-processable semiconductors, renders them attractive alternative solutions for sustainable energy production in the near future — especially where light weight, semitransparency and large area applications are required. More specifically, all-organic photovoltaics (OPV) are one of the forefront technologies, with demonstrated power conversion efficiencies of up to 20%. This encouraging performance, together with the possibility of processing using printing techniques should allow their rapid industrial development. Further advances of these highly interesting device platforms require the development of mechanistic understanding of (i) the relevant structure-property relationships of the semiconducting materials, (ii) the optoelectronic and photo-physical processes governing charge transport, solar energy conversion and light emission, and (iii) the role that interfaces play in specific device architectures/device processes. This knowledge, which covers different materials and device architectures, is essential to guide intelligent materials development and future device engineering. This symposium aims to highlight and promote recent progress in the broad area of organic and inorganic-organic semiconductors, addressing current challenges in these emerging fields, with a particular focus on the following: Advances in materials design and synthesis, emphasizing the importance of synthetic chemistry in tuning the material properties to obtain the desired functionality and optoelectronic properties; Recent developments and techniques to solve problems related to the characterization solid-state structure, phase separation, interfaces, charge generation and transport; Understanding of the optoelectronic and photo-physical processes in the semiconductor (e.g., exciton/charge dynamics), or at materials interfaces at various length and time scales; and Large-scale transposition of processing and devices, in-operando studies, with particular attention to device interfaces, fundamental processes and stability. The interdisciplinary character of these topics, covering material science, physical chemistry, physics and device engineering will attract broad academic interest, with the final aim to make progress in the fundamental knowledge and close the gap of new generation semiconductor commercialization.

composite electronic material ionic conductor organic perovskites photovoltaic polymer semiconducting thermoelectric