Electric Force Microscopy Imaging of Fundamental Processes in Organic Electronic Materials

这项提案的目标是研究可替代的碳基材料，这种材料可以低成本加工，并且可以更有效地将光转化为电。开发这种材料的障碍是我们缺乏了解。在这个项目中，最近发明的扫描探针显微镜将用于创建塑料电路和太阳能电池中电子运动的图像。这些信息将用于指导合成化学家改进材料。最先进的变温真空电磁力显微镜将用于探测有机电子器件中的电荷注入和捕获，有机薄膜器件中的局部电荷迁移率将通过一种新的扫描探针技术来探测局部电场波动。研究结果将广泛影响我们对有机电子材料的思考，并应用于发光二极管和有机太阳能电池技术。这个项目代表了一个独特的机会，培养研究生在先进的扫描探针显微镜和纳米制造的艺术，这两项技能似乎在不断增长的需求。为了确保在材料研究方面获得尽可能广泛的跨学科培训，参加该项目的学生将与联邦和工业实验室的科学家合作完成暑期项目。这项提案的目标是帮助发现和发明新材料，以制造更高效的太阳能电池和更经济有效的塑料电路。发明改进的太阳能电池至关重要，因为我们的国家需要开发更好、更多的可再生能源。如果塑料电路能够被开发出来，它将导致工业高度感兴趣的新方法，例如用于跟踪产品和与医疗传感器接口。现有的材料根本无法胜任这些任务。在这方面受过训练的学生将在就业市场上具有很强的竞争力。

The goal of this proposal is to investigate alternative carbon-based materials that can be processed at low cost and that can more efficiently convert light into electricity. The roadblock to developing such materials is our lack of understanding. In this project recently invented scanned probe microscopes will be used to create images of electrons moving in plastic circuits and in solar cells. The information will be used to guide synthetic chemists to make improved materials. State-of-the-art variable-temperature vacuum electric force microscopy will be used to probe charge injection and trapping in organic electronic devices, and the local charge mobility in an organic thin-film device will be imaged via a new scanned probe technique that detects local electric field fluctuations. The results will broadly impact our thinking about organic electronic materials, with application to light emitting diodes and organic solar cell technology. This project represents a unique opportunity to train graduate students in the arts of advanced scanned probe microscopy and nanofabrication, two skills that appear to be in ever-increasing demand. In order to assure the broadest possible interdisciplinary training in materials research, students on this project will work on collaborative summer projects with scientists at federal and industrial laboratories.%%%The goal of this proposal is to help discover and invent new materials for making more efficient solar cells and more cost effective plastic circuits. Inventing improved solar cells is crucial because our country needs to develop better, more renewable sources of energy. If plastic circuits could be developed it would lead to new methods of high interest to industry, e.g., for tracking products and interfacing with medical sensors. Existing materials are simply not up to these tasks. Students trained in this area will be highly competitive in the job market.