CAREER: Development of Novel Electroactive Polymer Assemblies

电活性聚合物响应电场改变形状，正在成为传感器、执行器、人造肌肉和微机电系统等先进电子设备的关键部件。该CRAEER项目寻求(1)基于合理设计、分子工程和多种电活性聚合物的分层组装开发新一代机电材料，以及(2)对铁电聚合物中新型纳米结构、超分子形态和物理性质之间的相关性进行基本理解。提出的研究计划的一个关键方面是利用半导体有机材料中的纳米级离域p电子来大幅提高铁电聚合物的介电常数和机电响应。具体来说，p共轭低聚物将以可控的密度共价掺入铁电含氟聚合物中，并将研究机电响应和介电性能与共轭长度和电导率的相关性。将开发新的远旋氟烯烃控制聚合方法，并将其用于合成机电聚合物的嵌段结构。提出的研究方法提供了独特的机会，通过控制铁电氟聚合物中共轭低聚物的纳米级组织来调整固态物理特性，如介电和机电响应。拟议的跨学科研究将为一种真正新型的高性能材料的应用奠定基础，用于能量存储、能量收集和先进微电子。能够在传统学科之间工作的未来科学家将在该计划中接受培训和教育。除了研究生研究助理，本科生和少数民族将全面参与拟议的研究计划。此外，还将为7年级至12年级的中学制作一系列教育视频和配套的课堂材料。这个多媒体包将在宾夕法尼亚州立大学公共广播系统电台制作，通过他们的视频流网站和全国教育视频网站分发。

Electroactive polymers that change shape in response to an electric field are becoming crucial components in advanced electronic devices such as sensors, actuators, artificial muscles, and microelectromechanical systems. This CRAEER project seeks (1) to develop a new generation of electromechanical materials based on rational design, molecular engineering and hierarchical assembly of multiple electroactive polymers, and (2) to achieve fundamental understanding of the correlations between novel nanostructure, supramolecular morphology and physical properties in ferroelectric polymers. A key aspect of the proposed research program is to utilize nanoscale delocalized p-electrons in semiconducting organic materials to substantially raise the dielectric constant and electromechanical responses of the ferroelectric polymers. Specifically, p-Conjugated oligomers will be covalently incorporated into the ferroelectric fluoropolymers with a controlled density, and the correlations of electromechanical responses and dielectric properties with conjugation length and conductivity will be investigated. New controlled polymerization methods for telechelic fluoroalkenes will be developed and utilized for the synthesis of block architectures of the electromechanical polymers. The proposed research approaches offer unique opportunities to tune the solid-state physical properties, such as dielectric and electromechanical responses, via the control of nanoscopic organization of conjugated oligomers in ferroelectric fluoropolymers.The proposed interdisciplinary research will form the ground work for a truly new class of high-performance materials for applications in energy storage, energy harvesting, and advanced microelectronics. Future scientists capable of working at the interface between traditional disciplines will be trained and educated within this program. In addition to graduate research assistants, undergraduates and minorities will be integrally involved in the proposed research program. A series of educational videos with supporting classroom materials will be produced for secondary schools, targeting the 7th through 12th grades. This multimedia package will be created at the Penn State Public Broadcasting System station for distribution through their video streaming website and national educational video internet sites.