Dr. Correa-Baena’s passion for inventing new materials that can be used in energy applications, light sensors, and light emission began in the backyard of a childhood home. His first interactions with material science were playing as a child with his grandfather, a retired engineer with the mindset of an inventor. He spent a lot of time helping his grandfather tinker with epoxies and invent new devices. This enthusiasm for creating new materials and mechanical objects was passed down to Dr. Correa-Baena.

He pursued an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering, but he realized he was more interested in the materials side of what he was learning. In his master’s program, he specialized in environmental engineering before finding his way to material science. He was working with a group on photocatalysis for water remediation, which uses solar energy to convert various products in the water that harm the environment. However, he found that he was more interested in photons, the light particles, and the inorganic catalysts that absorb the photons and convert the water than the water aspect of this process. He says, “I was more interested in the inorganic part, the actual catalyst, and how to make sure that catalyst absorbs light.” Titanium dioxide, for example, absorbs light and then creates radicals at the interface that degrade damaging organic material. Dr. Correa-Baena continued to research solar cells in his Ph.D. and has been working on developing new materials for solar energy conversion since then.

His group is currently developing the next generation of solar panels while asking fundamental scientific questions such as, “How does the material we’re making more efficiently convert photons from solar energy into electrical energy? And how do we make those materials last longer? Which chemicals will enable solar panels to last for years?” Durability, sustainability, and efficiency are key principles of his innovative research.

His group is also working on replacing transistors in smartphones with quantum communication technology within the next decade. Transistors can only be miniaturized to a certain point, but Correa-Baena’s group is exploring how to store information at the subatomic level. He is collaborating closely with physicists and chemists on this project. For him, it was Georgia Tech’s strong spirit of collaboration that inspired him to join the School of Materials Science and Engineering five years ago.

Though his research is exciting, the most gratifying part of work as a professor he admits, is mentoring students. He enjoys seeing his students become “storytellers in science,” by teaching them how to conduct research in quantum mechanics and then communicate their research to the scientific community. This ability to communicate with scientists of various backgrounds is especially important for materials scientists.

He says materials scientists “are the bridge between chemists, physicists, and engineers.” They are able to draw on the fundamental principles that physicists are trying to understand in more depth and derive a practical application for their research. They are also able to communicate with other engineers such as the electrical engineers who can build the necessary circuits. Materials are at the center of everything we do, and materials scientists are at the center of the conversation of the next generation of new materials and technology such as solar energy and quantum communication.