International Collaboration in Chemistry: Novel Approaches to Molecular Assembly in Polymers for Solar Energy Conversion

在这个由化学部和国际科学与工程办公室的大分子，超分子和纳米化学项目资助的美国研究人员与国外同行（ICC）之间的化学国际合作项目中，位于圣巴巴拉的加州大学的Michael Chabynic和克雷格Hawker将合成空穴和电子传输聚合物，这些聚合物可用于纳米压印光刻以形成层用于有机光伏器件。 该方法是合成聚（烷基硒醚）和共聚物的聚（环戊二噻吩）与聚（苯并噻二唑）含有热和光交联的侧基，这些供体聚合物将被检查用于纳米压印光刻。 接下来，将制备和研究新型聚（苯并三噻吩）供体聚合物和稠合噻唑和硒唑受体聚合物。 在沉积受体聚合物的双压印之前，将共形聚对二甲苯C涂层堆叠到纳米压印的供体聚合物层上。 另外，将非结晶染料添加到供体层，其在压印过程中供体层退火时应迁移到表面。 这些界面层应有助于降低电荷分离步骤期间的背电子转移动力学。 这项工作包括与英国帝国理工学院伦敦的Martin Heeney教授和Iain McCulloch教授的国际合作。 教授Heeney和McCulloch的工作将由工程和物理科学研究理事会（EPSRC）资助。 更广泛的影响包括培养研究生，并通过建立美国和英国大学之间的国际合作来加强研究和教育基础设施。 合作者将奋进开发可用于两所大学课程的有机电子学课程材料。 基于有机聚合物的太阳能电池显示出巨大的技术前景，但在低效率和显著的加工问题方面具有显著的缺点。 这项研究将增强我们对有机聚合物如何用于形成太阳能电池并捕获光并将其转化为电能的基本理解。 通过探索新型聚合物，这项研究可能会导致更容易加工和更便宜的太阳能电池技术。

In this International Collaboration in Chemistry between US Investigators and their Counterparts Abroad (ICC) project funded by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program of the Chemistry Division and the Office of International Science and Engineering, Michael Chabynic and Craig Hawker of the University of California at Santa Barbara will synthesize hole and electron transporting polymers that can be utilized in nanoimprint lithography to form layers for organic photovoltaic devices. The approach is to synthesize poly(alkyl selenophene)s and copolymers of poly(cyclopenta-dithiophene) with poly(benzothiadiazole) containing thermal and photo-crosslinkable side groups, and these donor polymers will be examined for use in nanoimprint lithography. Next, novel poly(benzotrithiophene) donor polymers and fused thiazole and selenazole acceptor polymers will be prepared and studied. Conformal parylene C coatings will be stacked onto the nanoimprinted donor polymer layer before the double imprint of the acceptor polymer is deposited. Additionally, non-crystalline dyes will be added to the donor layer that should migrate to the surface upon annealing of the donor layer in the imprinting process. These interfacial layers should help to reduce the kinetics of back electron transfer during the charge separation step. This work includes an international collaboration with Prof. Martin Heeney and Prof. Iain McCulloch of the Imperial College London, U.K. Profs. Heeney's and McCulloch's work will be funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The broader impacts involve training graduate students and enhancing infrastructure for research and education through establishment of an international collaboration between universities in the U.S. and the U.K. The collaborators will endeavor to develop course materials on organic electronics that can be used in the curricula at both universities. Organic polymer-based solar cells show great technological promise but have significant drawbacks in terms of low efficiencies and significant processing problems. This research will enhance our fundamental understanding about how organic polymers can be used to form solar cells and capture light and turn it into electrical energy. By exploring new types of polymers, this research could lead to easier to process and less expensive solar cell technologies.