Conjugated Ionomers: Internal Compensation as a Route to Engineering Charge Depletion Layers and Interfaces Between Dissimilarly Doped Conjugated Polymers

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Charge depletion at semiconductor interfaces forms the foundation for modern microelectronic devices. This award seeks to explore the analogy between charge depletion in inorganic semiconductor devices and those based on conjugated polymers. The central theme of the proposed work is the use of internally compensated doped conjugated polymers to engineer charge depletion layers at interfaces. Internally compensated polymers, unlike traditionally doped conjugated polymers, do not contain any mobile counter-ions. In the presence of mobile counter-ions, charge depletion layers cannot be supported and the interfaces where they are most likely to be generated are not stable with respect to redox reactions. The proposed work centers on polyacetylene ionomers with a controlled density of functional groups and prepared by the ring-opening metathesis copolymerization of functionalized cyclooctatetraenes. These materials are to be used to conduct the first comprehensive study of charge depletion at conjugated polymer interfaces as a function of dopant density and to explore the possibility of all polymeric pn junctions. These studies will lay the fundamental foundation for the design of a variety of devices based on doped conjugated polymers.As in the initial term of the project, new educational initiatives are proposed to keep pace with the continued convergence of basic science and engineering. In particular, continuing work on the development of summer undergraduate camps is proposed. These camps continuing work on the development of summer undergraduate camps is proposed. These camps (Chip Camp and Poly Camp) introduce chemistry students to highly relevant topics in materials science that are often overlooked in a traditional chemistry education.