Dr. Noureen Siraj from the chemistry department has received $188,863 from the National Science Foundation to study experimental methods of developing organic optoelectronic materials.
With this funding, Siraj will work with the Center of Organic Photonics and Electronics and Laser Dynamic Laboratory at the Georgia Institute of Technology to characterize new materials developed at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock which possess Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) characteristics. FRET is a radiation-free energy transfer process between chemical compounds. Molecules created and stabilized by this method can create electronic devices that emit and detect light, such as x-ray machines, solar cells, light bulbs, and LED lights.
Siraj will spend two summers (a total of six months) at the Georgia Institute of Technology to learn about modern thin film and device fabrication equipment. The Center of Organic Photonics and Electronics and Laser Dynamic Laboratory is a premier research center that specializes in electronic devices and flexible solar cells for information technology, telecommunications, and defense sectors.
Siraj is excited to apply the knowledge she gains to her work at UA Little Rock and teach students about these new methods.
“This training will offer me an opportunity to establish an outstanding and first-of-its-kind research group at UA Little Rock and the state of Arkansas,” Siraj said. “Students and STEM faculty at UA Little Rock will receive tremendous benefit[s] from these facilities, since most of the professors in chemistry, physics, and engineering departments at UA Little Rock are involved in materials science research.”
Project is sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Award Number 1833004. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
