ESC EMCH 514- Innovative Methods for Production Breakthroughs: Emerging Thin-Film Photovoltaics

Wednesday, August 26, 2026; 3:35-4:25 pm
102 ECORE
Speaker: Ivy Mawusi Asuo from

Abstract
Organic-inorganic metal halide perovskite solar cells have emerged as a rapidly growing field in 
recent years, as they require more sustainable materials while demonstrating solar efficiency 
comparable to traditional silicon solar cells. Their unique semiconductor properties, including high 
absorption coefficients, ambipolar charge transport, low exciton binding energies, and ferroelectric 
characteristics, also make them suitable for optoelectronic applications. The crystal structures that 
enable these properties depend on manufacturing methods. Additionally, some solution deposition 
methods use antisolvents like chlorobenzene to facilitate the crystallization of thin films. However, 
halide perovskite materials degrade due to moisture, heat, and light. Consequently, the formation of 
metal halide perovskite thin films presents challenges for solution-processed devices, particularly 
under ambient conditions. This talk emphasizes a method for fabricating perovskites under ambient 
conditions by tuning their chemical, optical, and microstructural properties. The crucial role of 
additives and solvent treatment in fabricating perovskite thin films and enhancing their device 
performance will be discussed. It examines the influence of antisolvents on the quality of perovskite 
thin films processed and device performance, providing insights for cost-effective and reliable 
commercial applications. 

Biography
Dr. Ivy M. Asuo is an assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at 
Pennsylvania State University. She earned a PhD in Energy and Materials Science from the Institut 
National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS-EMT) in Canada. Prior to her PhD, she earned a double 
master's in Functionalized Advanced Materials Engineering under the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship 
from the University of Augsburg, Germany, and the Grenoble Institute for Technology, France. She 
also holds an MSc in Materials Science and Engineering from the African University of Science and 
Technology, Nigeria, and a BSc in Physics from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. She is a cofounder of Pi-Sol Technologies Inc., now WattByWatt Inc., Canada, a spin-off from her graduate 
research. Her research group at Penn State focuses on the synthesis of energy materials, especially 
the solution processing of halide perovskite thin films for optoelectronic devices and photocatalysis.

Hosted by: Lana Fulton,  lub18@psu.edu

Piezoelectric Films for Microelectromechanical Systems

Wednesday, September 2, 2026; 3:35-4:25 pm
102 ECORE
Speaker: SUSAN TROILER-MCKINSTRY from

Piezoelectric thin films are of increasing interest in low voltage microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for sensing, actuation, and energy harvesting. This seminar will discuss how materials are optimized for these applications, as well as examples of the use of piezoelectric films over a wide range of length scales. The key figures of merit for actuators and energy harvesting will be discussed, with emphasis on how to achieve these on practical substrates. For example, control of the domain structure of the ferroelectric material allows the energy harvesting figure of merit for the piezoelectric layer to be increased by factors of 4 – 10. Likewise, control of crystallographic orientation and substrate clamping enables large increases in the figure of merit for actuators. To illustrate the functionality of these films, examples of integration into MEMS structures will also be discussed, including miniaturized ultrasound systems for imaging and particle manipulation, low frequency and non-resonant piezoelectric energy harvesting devices, and adjustable optics for X-ray space telescopes.

 

Susan Trolier-McKinstry is an Evan Pugh University Professor and Steward S. Flaschen Professor of Ceramic Science and Engineering, and Professor of Electrical Engineering.  Her main research interests include thin films for dielectric and piezoelectric applications.  She directs both the Center for Dielectrics and Piezoelectrics and the Center for Three-Dimensional Ferroelectric Microelectronics. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the American Ceramic Society, IEEE, and the Materials Research Society, and an academician of the World Academy of Ceramics. She currently serves as an associate editor for Applied Physics Letters.  She was 2017 President of the Materials Research Society; previously she served as president of the IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control Society, as well as Keramos. 

Hosted by: Lana Fulton,  lub18@psu.edu