Nutifafa Yao Doumon is an interdisciplinary scientist with a background in physics, nanoscience, and leadership. Nutifafa’s main research interest focuses on materials for next-generation photovoltaic and optoelectronic technologies.
Before joining Penn State, Dr. Doumon was jointly a researcher at INRS-EMT (Canada) and Jilin Normal University (China), with research activities mainly carried out in Canada, exploring the field of solar technologies. He then joined the Chemistry and Nanoscience Center at the National Renewable energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, Colorado, as a researcher working as part of the SETO’s Perovskite PV Accelerator for Commercializing Technologies (PACT) and the SETO’s SLAC Perovskite teams. He has more than a decade of experience and expertise in physics, nanoscience, materials science, energy, research, teaching, and leadership. He is an advocator for better Education, women in STEM, global climate change, and sustainable energy transition and resources.
Dr. Doumon is passionate about the (African) youth and the value-added transformation of the continent, leading him to co-found DAMINY EduNergy Ltd (DEL), aiming to serve four pillars of African society: Leadership, Education, Energy (Science), and Research. He also launched the DAMINY EduNergy Mentorship Program (DENMP). DENMP aims to shape the minds of the young and future generation of African scholars in all areas, especially young ladies in STEM, through its platforms, programs, and mentors.
He joined Penn State’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering in 2023 as an assistant professor and holds an appointment as an Institutes of Energy and the Environment (IEE) and an Alliance for Education, Science, Engineering, and Design with Africa (AESEDA) co-hire.
Research activities generally focused on organic electronics, particularly organic light-emitting diodes and organic photovoltaics (OPVs). His works spanned degradation mechanisms and stability studies of fullerene and non-fullerene-based OPVs, exploring bulk heterojunction binary and ternary solar cells. The latest research activities focus on stability/reliability testing of perovskite-based devices/modules, chemical characterization of the active layer, indoor/outdoor testing of perovskite modules, and characterization of failure modes/mechanisms.
Key Publications:
- Doumon, N. Y.; Yang, L.; and Rosei, F. “Ternary organic solar cells: A review of the role of the third element”, Nano Energy 2022, 94,106915. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2021.106915
- Asuo, I. M.; Gedamu, D.; Doumon, N. Y.; Ka, I.; Pignolet, A.; Cloutier, S. G.; and Nechache, R. “Ambient Processing Strategy for Improved Air-Stability and Efficiency in Mixed-Cation Perovskite Solar Cells”, Mater. Adv. 2020, 1, 1866. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0MA00528B (Selected and included in the Themed Collection “Perovskites, 2021”)
- Doumon, N. Y.; Dryzhov, M. V; Houard, F. V; Le Corre, V. M.; Chatri, A. R.; Christodoulis, P.; Koster, L. J. A. “Photostability of Fullerene and Non-Fullerene Polymer Solar Cells: The Role of the Acceptor”, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2019, 11 (8), 8310. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.8b20493
- Doumon, N. Y.; Houard, F. V.; Dong, J.; Christodoulis, P.; Dryzhov, M. V.; Portale, G.; Koster, L. J. A. “Improved Photostability in Ternary Blend Organic Solar Cells: The Role of [70]PCBM”, J. Mater. Chem. C 2019, 7, 5104–5111. https://doi.org/10.1039/C8TC06621C (Editors’ choice collection 2021 on organic photovoltaics: back in the game)
- Doumon, N. Y.; Wang, G.; Qiu, X.; Minnaard, A. J.; Chiechi, R. C.; Koster, L. J. A. “1,8-Diiodooctane Acts as a Photo-Acid in Organic Solar Cells”, Nature Sc. Reports 2019, 9 (1), 4350. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-40948-1
- Doumon, N. Y.; Koster, L. J. A. “Effects of the Reduction and/or Fluorination of the TT-Units in BDT-TT Polymers on the Photostability of Polymer:Fullerene Solar Cells”, Sol. RRL 2019, 1800301. https://doi.org/10.1002/solr.201800301
- Doumon, N. Y.; Wang, G.; Chiechi, R. C.; Koster, L. J. A. “Relating Polymer Chemical Structure to the Stability of Polymer:Fullerene Solar Cells”, J. Mater. Chem. C 2017, 5 (26), 6611. https://doi.org/10.1039/C7TC01455D
- Abbaszadeh, D.; Doumon, N. Y.; Wetzelaer, G.-J. A. H.; Koster, L. J. A.; Blom, P. W. M. “Effect of the Layer Thickness on the Efficiency Enhancement in Bilayer Polymer Light-Emitting Diodes”, Synth. Met. 2016, 215, 64–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.synthmet.2016.02.003
- Mitacs Accelerate Fellowship (IT19876)
- RuG 3 Minutes Thesis Competition People’s Choice Award
- Topmaster in Nanoscience Scholarship by Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials
- Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Scholarship at one of the Nelson Mandela Institutes, AUST-Abuja
- Best Graduating Final Year Physics Student, University of Ghana, Legon