A key factor in natural photosynthesis, solar fuels and photovoltaic cells is how to control photoinduced charge separation and recombination in donor-acceptor systems. This talk highlights photoinduced electron transfer in donor-acceptor linked molecules, dye- sensitized solar cells, and bulk heterojunction solar cells for energy and biological applications.

The research initiatives, “Dynamic Exciton: Emerging Science and Innovation,” focus on manipulating charge-transfer states for energy conversion.

Hiroshi Imahori completed his doctorate in organic chemistry at Kyoto University, Japan. From 1990–1992, he was a post-doctoral fellow at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, US. In 1992, he became an assistant professor, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (ISIR), Osaka University, Japan, and then moved to the Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, as an associate professor. Since 2002, he has been a professor of chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University. He received the JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) Prize (2006), CSJ (Chemical Society of Japan) Award for Creative Work (2006), Osaka Science Prize (2007), NISTEP (National Institute of Science and Technology Policy) Researcher Award (2007) and was named fellow of The Electrochemical Society (2016). His current interests involve solar-energy conversion and organic functional materials.