This document summarizes the research journey of Professor Allen Hermann from the University of Colorado Boulder's Department of Physics. It describes his background work in fundamental studies of molecular solids that led to the discovery of the solid state battery used in modern pacemakers. It then outlines his subsequent research searching for excitonic superconductivity in thin films, superconductivity in intercalated dichalcogenides which successfully discovered a new 4K superconductor, and searching for superconductivity in organic low-dimensional materials and new high temperature cuprate superconductors, discovering the Tl-cuprate system. His research also involved solar cells, tunable microwave devices, nanotechnology, and new dopeable ceramic semicon

1. Research- Fundamental or
Applied? A Personal Journey
Prof. Allen Hermann
Department of Physics
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80409 USA
allen.hermann@colorado.edu

2. Background in Fundamental
studies (Hall Effect,
thermoelectric power,
resistivity and
photoconductivity, etc.) on
Molecular Solids

7. …Led to discovery of
Solid State Battery used in
today’s Cardiac Pacemekers

8. Li
LiI
PVP-I CT
complex
Li+

9. Superconductors

13. Search for Excitonic
Superconductivity

16. in Thin Films on Polarizable
substrates-
not successful

19. Search for Superconductivity in
2D Intercalated Materials
Alkali-metal Intercalated
Dichalcogenides
(Successful-
A New 4K superconductor!)

22. K-MoS2

23. Search for Superconductivity (or
high conductivity) in Organic
Low-dimensional materials

25. Search for New High
Temperature Cuprate
Superconductors
Highly Successful –
Discovered the Tl-cuprate System

32. Solar Cells

33. Si Space Solar Cells

36. Thin Film Amorphous Si

39. Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Cells
CIS, CIGS

41. Other Polycrystalline Thin Film
Cells

43. Tunable Microwave Devices

48. Nanotechnology

49. Nanostructured Organic Solar Cells

51. Nanostructured Batteries

56. 20 nm nanorods of MnO2 for positive electrodes
in Li ion batteries

58. New dopeable ceramic
semiconductors