Molecular Thin Film Lab Research
Predictive Control of Thin Film Surface Morphology
Small-molecule evaporation and coating techniques enable the fabrication of a wide range of surfaces and interfaces, which play a key role in determining device performance and functionality. Two examples from our research are gas sensors and organic-based photovoltaic (solar cell) thin films. Our work focuses on understanding how film structure can be optimized during growth and post-deposition annealing to promote controlled self-assembly and crystallization. Non-equilibrium film growth with competing kinetics based on nucleation, diffusion and aggregation is common in metal-organic thin films with weak van der Waals bonding. We can use quantitative models that link the processing parameters with predictive scaling laws.
Emergent Magnetism in Low-Dimensional Molecular Systems
Low-dimensional magnetic systems are based on molecular chains that strongly interact in one dimension and weakly between chains. The distances and interacting ions can be chemically engineered. In iron phthalocyanine thin films, the magnetic properties are tuned with deposition parameters, for instance. Interface driven phenomena, such as exchange bias and interlayer coupling are particularly interesting as they provide new functionalities for nanoscale magnetic devices. This functionality is key for data storage and magnetic sensors.
Charge Transport in Disordered and Heterogeneous Organic Systems
Charge transport in molecular thin films remains poorly understood, especially outside ideal crystalline limits. Phthalocyanine thin films allow us to study the trap states near grain boundaries and impurity-limited transport properties, as well as anisotropic transport. When combined with graphene or other 2D materials, the electronic structure can be modified. Phthalocyanine can be used to tune characteristics, such as carrier mobility and spin-dependent properties.
Citation
@misc{gredig2026,
author = {Gredig, Thomas and Gredig, Thomas},
title = {Molecular {Thin} {Film} {Lab} {Research}},
date = {2026-03-19},
url = {https://www.csulb.edu/~tgredig/posts/JoinResearchGroup/gredig_research.html},
langid = {en}
}