US-Belgium Cooperative Research: Development and Characterization of Conjugated Polymers

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This award will support collaborative research between U.S. and Belgian scientists in the area of development and characterization of conjugated polymers. The U.S. investigators are Drs. A.J. Heeger and Fred Wudl, University of California, Santa Barbara. The Belgian collaborator is Professor Jean-Luc Bredas, University of Mons. The joint project will focus on the following three topics: 1) development and characterization of new polymer materials with small band gaps (2) evaluation of the electronic properties of soluble conducting polymers and (3) the role of charged nonlinear excitations (solitons, polarons and bipolarons) in the nonlinear optical properties of conjugated polymers. The investigators have a history of successful collaboration, based on their complementary expertise. Dr. Bredas has a background in quantum chemistry and has made outstanding contributions to the theory of quasi-one- dimensional solids and in particular to conducting polymers. The U.S. researchers have carried out leading experimental investigations in the area of highly conducting organic solids. The results of the proposed project will contribute to increased understanding of this important area of materials research, which has many potential industrial applications.