Self-Organized Nanolayers for Organic Thin-Film Transistors

该奖项的研究目标是开发简便的方法，使共轭有机分子形成高度有序的纳米层结构。主要完成三项工作：1)合理地设计共轭分子的头尾结构：头部是电荷传导的关键成分，尾部是层状连接的活性成分；2)研究层状结构的形成过程，优化有序结构的堆积：组织取决于许多因素，如头尾结构的化学设计，构象的变化，以及这些分子之间相互作用的定量评估；3)模拟分子堆积，揭示分子的尺寸效应或官能团效应。设计、合成和模拟分子并允许它们形成很少观察到的纳米层的能力将显著增加关于材料设计/表面工程的知识体系。如果成功，有序薄膜有望具有在块状材料中无法达到的优越电子性能。因此，这项工作有望引起从事生物薄膜、有机电子、大面积柔性显示器、移动设备和高速传感器的研究实验室和高科技行业的普遍兴趣。工程专业的研究生和本科生以及高中教师将通过课堂教学和暑期研究活动受益。

The research objective of this award is to develop facile methods to allow conjugated organic molecules forming a highly organized nanolayer structure. Three main tasks will be performed: 1) rationally design a head-tail structure for a conjugated molecule: the head operates as a critical component for charge conduction and the tail as an active component for layered linkage; 2) investigate the layered formation process and optimize the packing of the ordered structures: the organization depends upon many factors, such as chemical design of the head-tail structure, conformational changes after organization, and a quantified assessment of the interactions between these molecules; and 3) model the molecular packing, revealing size effect or functional group effect to a desired structure.The ability to design, synthesize and model molecules and allow them to form rarely observed nanolayers will add significantly to the body of knowledge regarding to material design/surface engineering. If successful, the ordered film is expected to possess superior electronic properties unachievable in bulk materials. As a result, this work is expected to be of general interest to research laboratories and high-tech industries working on biological thin films, organic electronics, large-area flexible displays, mobile devices, and high-speed sensors. Graduate and undergraduate engineering students and high school teachers will benefit through classroom instruction and summer research involvement.