Roland Hany

Roland Hany is a researcher at Empa's Laboratory for Functional Polymers within the Advanced Materials and Surfaces division. Holding a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Zürich, he has been active in materials research since 1993 and leads the organic optoelectronic device group.

• Education: University of Zürich (Chemistry, Physics, Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry)
• Editorial Roles: Associate Editor (since 2014), Deputy Editor (since 2017) for Science and Technology of Advanced Materials

His research focuses on organic optoelectronic devices, particularly polymethine dyes for near-infrared applications. Key projects include transparent solar cells, photodiodes, and all-organic upconverters that convert infrared scenes into visible images. He has extensive experience with NMR spectroscopy and chemical functionalization of biological polyesters like polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), which have biomedical applications.

Recent publications highlight advancements in shortwave infrared-sensitive devices, exploring charge transport, doping gradients, and optical modeling. His team develops solution-processed multilayer upconverters and investigates electron trap dynamics in polymer LEDs/LCEs.

Key Article Trends include:

• 2025: Squaraine dyes for high-efficiency photodetectors
• 2024: Ion drift currents in perovskites, photomultiplication upconverters
• 2022-2021: Carrier tunneling mechanisms, emissivity modulation

Institutional Roles encompass safety administration, NMR facility management, and leadership in Empa's coating competence center. He has collaborated on global pandemic impact studies in materials science.