Benjamin Scott Flavel

Dr. Benjamin Scott Flavel is a Research Group Leader at the Institute of Nanotechnology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany. His research focuses on carbon nanotubes and their applications in photovoltaics and sensing technologies. He leads a dynamic research team conducting cutting-edge work on the separation, purification, and application of single- and double-walled carbon nanotubes.

Education:

• Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry), Flinders University, Australia, 2010
• Bachelor of Science in Nanotechnology (Honors), Flinders University, Australia, 2005
• Habilitation in Materials Science, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 2018

His research interests lie at the intersection of nanotechnology and energy materials, particularly in carbon nanotube-based solar cells, chirality-specific separation techniques, and nano-sensing devices. His group has pioneered methods such as ATPE for enantiomer sorting and developed innovative solar cell architectures with industrial relevance. The research spans fundamental charge transport mechanisms to applied device engineering.

The publication record shows a strong trend in advancing carbon nanotube photovoltaics, with key contributions in interface engineering, scalable fabrication, and high-efficiency CNT:Si solar cells. Work also extends to spectroscopic characterization, alignment techniques, and software tools for data analysis.

Scientific Awards:

• Heisenberg Program, DFG (2018)
• Emmy Noether Program, DFG (2013)
• Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship (2011)
• Australian Government Endeavor Research Fellowship (2009)
• Bloom-Gutmann Prize, Royal Australian Chemical Institute (2008)
• Hope Meeting, Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (2008)
• Research Fellowship, Flinders University (2007)

Dr. Flavel has successfully advised multiple PhD students, including Dr. Moritz Pfohl, Dr. Katherine Moore, and Dr. Daniel Tune. His research has been supported by significant grants from the German Research Foundation (DFG), including funding for a double-walled carbon nanotube project and an organic evaporation system (~320,000 EUR). Collaborations span institutions such as NIST, Freie Universität Berlin, University of Antwerp, McMaster University, and University of Sydney.

The research group operates within the Institute of Nanotechnology at KIT, utilizing advanced infrastructure for nanomaterials synthesis, characterization, and device fabrication. The team is recognized internationally, with work featured in Open Access Government, Research Features, and Europhotonics, and covered by Nanotechweb.