Julia Schneider

• Assistant Professor at Fordham University
• Postdoctoral fellow at the University of California Santa Barbara and the Mitsubishi Chemical Center for Advanced Materials
• Ph.D. in Chemistry from McGill University
• B.Sc. in Chemistry/Biochemistry from Southern Connecticut State University

Work in my lab aims to elucidate structure-property-morphology relationships in organic semiconductors. By focusing on simple structural modifications that influence optoelectronic properties and solid-state assembly, we can probe these relationships and develop a comprehensive design strategy for organic semiconductors. These strategies are then implemented in the synthesis of novel materials for current and up-and-coming applications.

Organic electronics are devices in which molecules or polymers serve as the electrically active material. Examples include light-emitting diodes, solar cells, or transistors. Since these molecules or polymers can be solution-processable, they make possible inexpensive, printed devices. Biodegradable devices made from organic semiconductors printed on paper could even help stem the accumulation of e-waste in landfills.

Since the discovery of charge transport in organic materials, many organic semiconductors have been reported; their properties tuned through structural modifications and tailored for specific applications. Due to these advances commercialized OLEDs can today be found in most smart-phones today and efficiencies in organic photovoltaics continue to rise. Now, the field of organic electronics is reaching an exciting juncture where chemical innovation begins to inspire new technologies. My lab focuses on the design and synthesis of new organic semiconductors all the while wondering “what technology will be invented if we develop stretchable, biodegradable, conductive polymers?”

Please see Google Scholar for a complete list of publications.

Nakayama, H.; Schneider, J. A.; Faust, M.; Wang, H.; de Alaniz, J. R.; Wudl, F.; Chabinyc, M., A new family of liquid and solid guanidine-based n-type dopants for solution-processed perovskite solar cells. Mater. Chem. Front., 2020, 4, 3616-3622.

Nakayama, H.; Zheng, Y.; Schneider, J. A.; Wang, H.; Ninomiya, N.; Momose, T.; de Alaniz, J. R.; Wudl, F.; Chabinyc, M., Sulfur-fused perylene diimide electron transport layers allow >400 h operational lifetime of methylammonium lead iodide photovoltaics. J. Mater. Chem. C, 2019, 7 (36), 11126-11133.

Li, X.-C.; Wang, H.; Nakayama, H.; Wei, Z.; Schneider, J. A.; Clark, K.; Lai, W.-Y.; Huang, W.; Labram, J. G.; de Alaniz, J.R.; Chabinyc, M.; Wudl, F.; Zheng, Y., Multi-Sulfur-Annulated Fused Perylene Diimides for Organic Solar Cells with Low Open-Circuit Voltage Loss. ACS Appl. Energy Mater., 2019, 2 (5), 3805-3814.

Li, X.; Wang, H.; Schneider, J. A.; Wei, Z.; Lai, W.-Y.; Huang, W.; Wudl, F.; Zheng, Y., Catalyst-free one-step synthesis of ortho-tetraaryl perylene diimides for efficient OPV non-fullerene acceptors. J. Mater. Chem. C, 2017, 5, 2781. 

Schneider, J. A.; Perepichka, D. F., A New Approach to Polycyclic Azaarenes: Visible–light Photolysis of Vinyl Azides in the Synthesis of Diazabenzopyrene and Diazaperylene. J. Mater. Chem. C, 2016, 4, 7269.

Schneider, J. A.; Black, H.; Lin, H.-P.; Perepichka, D. F., Polymorphism in New Thienothiophene-Thiazolothiazole Organic Semiconductors. ChemPhysChem, 2015, 16, 1173.