• GHOST: towards energy-efficient and sustainable organic electronics

Full title: Green Horizon on Organic Semiconductor Technologies (GHOST). Programme: Horizon Europe – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Staff Exchanges. Project number: 101182946. Project duration: 1 October 2024 – 30 September 2028.

  • Popular-science summary

Organic electronics uses carbon-based compounds to produce technologies such as flexible displays, energy-efficient light sources, solar cells, transistors and sensors. Inside a working device, however, organic molecules do not operate in isolation. Their properties depend on the surrounding materials and interactions with neighbouring molecules. These interactions can determine how charge and energy are transferred, how efficiently light is generated, how long a device operates and how much energy it consumes. Nevertheless, they cannot yet be fully predicted or controlled.

GHOST combines theoretical modelling, material design and synthesis, photophysical, electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical characterisation, and the fabrication and testing of organic electronic devices. The resulting knowledge will be used to establish design principles for more efficient and sustainable organic electronic materials.

  • Project objective

The main objective is to understand molecular interactions in excited states, particularly how the material environment and host–dopant systems influence charge- and energy-transfer processes. The research covers the entire development chain: from computational modelling and molecular synthesis to material characterisation and the fabrication of devices such as OLEDs, organic photovoltaic cells, organic field-effect transistors and organic thermoelectric generators. The project also develops international cooperation and trains researchers through staff exchanges, collaborative research and training activities.

  • Project partners

Lodz University of Technology – Poland, Technical University of Denmark – Denmark, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research – Germany, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences – Poland, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences – Poland, French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) – France, University of Glasgow – United Kingdom, Durham University – United Kingdom, Osaka University – Japan, National Taiwan University – Taiwan, University of Queensland – Australia, Université de Montréal – Canada, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina – Brazil, Sungkyunkwan University – Republic of Korea, University of Bordeaux – France, AGH University of Krakow – Poland, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology – Japan, University of Auckland – New Zealand, University of Mauritius – Mauritius.

  • Role of Lodz University of Technology

Lodz University of Technology coordinates the international consortium, with the project led by Professor Przemysław Data. TUL is responsible for overall project management, communication with the European Research Executive Agency, coordination of staff exchanges, monitoring of project activities, reporting, and the distribution of information and funding within the consortium.

The TUL team also conducts research on photophysics and charge-transfer processes, electrochemistry and spectroelectrochemistry, charge mobility, and the design, fabrication and characterisation of organic optoelectronic devices.

  • Expected impact

GHOST is expected to enable more rational material design and reduce reliance on costly trial-and-error development. In the longer term, the resulting knowledge could support more efficient OLED displays and lighting, flexible solar cells, printed sensors, wearable devices and biomedical electronics.

The use of renewable-source materials and low-energy manufacturing methods could reduce raw-material consumption, energy demand and electronic waste. GHOST will also strengthen European expertise in organic electronics, facilitate international knowledge transfer and prepare researchers for interdisciplinary careers in academia and industry.

  • Project funding

The total value of the project is EUR 1,163,800. The funding allocated to Lodz University of Technology amounts to EUR 409,400.