Overview

Currently Accepting Graduate Students

Research Interests

My research vision is to develop easy, versatile, and inexpensive methods of exploring and tuning interfaces, particularly in organic, perovskite and nanoparticle solar cells, light emitting diodes and sensors. By making electronic products cheaper, more accessible, and more flexible, our research will have a huge impact on the way people use clean energy, access information and measure the world around them. To achieve this vision, the Turak group uses simple manufacturing approaches(reverse micelle deposition of nanoparticles), allows nature to dictate morphology(entropic self-assembly, beneficial dewetting), and develops widely applicable characterization tools(“MORPHOLOGIES” Monte Carlo simulation code, “dis-Locate” spatial order classification package, 3D printed environmental testing chamber).

Prior to McMaster, I was a Marie Curie Fellow at the Max-Planck-Institute for Metals Research in Stuttgart, Germany (2008-2010), then a visiting professor at Sabanci University in Istanbul, Turkey (2011). I am co-chair for the Society for Information Display (Cnd Chpt), and Editorial Board for the Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics (Springer) and Scientific Reports (Springer-Nature), and Associate editor for Frontiers in Photonics in Photovoltaic Materials and Devices.

Current research projects include:

• “Sanitizing plastic”: antiviral nanoparticle decorated polymers for antiseptic packaging against COVID-19 (COVID-19 ALLRP 550726-20)
• Perovskite near and mid-IR nanolasers: Next Generation Sources for Optical Satellite Communications (HTSN-611) (Optical Satellite Consortium Projects, Satellite Canada Innovation Network
• Nanoparticle Arrays for Novel, Organized Perovskites Assisted by Copolymer assembly Kinetics (NANOPACK): Designer nanomaterials for energy applications (RGPIN-2019-05994)
• Nanoparticle arrays for light management and degradation control (NanoLight) (Early Researcher Award)

• High efficiency nanostructured electrodes for organic optoelectronics (NSERC 436100-2013 RGPIN)

• Engineering Interlayers in Organic Photovoltaics: Effects of Nanostructuring and Energy Storage (TUBITAK 110T023) — jointly with C. Ow-Yang, Sabanci University, Turkey

• Geometric packing and phase transition modelling of two-dimensional organic molecule analogues – jointly with A. Diaz-Ortiz, Soleil, France

• Interfacial adhesion strength at organic-inorganic heterojunctions – jointly with M. Kampermann, Wageningen University, Holland

• Growth and structure of organic-organic heterojunctions – jointly with D. De Oteyza, Donostia International Physics Centre, Spain; R. Hayakawa, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Japan; Y. Zhang, Nankai University, China; J. Wachtrup, University of Stuttgart, Germany.

• Processing effects on structure of polymer solar cells – jointly with E. Ahlswede, Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW), Germany

• Inorganic interlayers for organic solar cells by reverse micelle reactor growth technique (NIOS) — jointly with C. Ow-Yang, Sabanci University, Turkey
• Interfacial structure of buried inorganic-organic interfaces in organic photovoltaics  (LiFOrganicPV)
• Geometric packing and phase transitions in two-dimensional granular media – jointly with A. Diaz-Ortiz, Orsey, France
• Interfacial adhesion strength at organic-inorganic heterojunctions – jointly with M. Kampermann, Wageningen University, Holland
• Reactivity of LiF coated surfaces – jointly with L. P. H. Jeurgens, MPI-IS, Germany
• Growth and structure of organic-organic heterojunctions – jointly with D. De Oteyza, Donostia International Physics Centre, Spain; R. Hayakawa, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Japan; Y. Zhang, Nankai University, China; J. Wachtrup, University of Stuttgart, Germany.
• Processing effects on structure of polymer solar cells – jointly with E. Ahlswede, Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW), Germany

Did you know…

Dr. Turak was a recipient of the Early Researcher Award in 2016.