Processing Mechanically Reliable Flexible Organic Electronic Films

加工机械可靠的柔性有机电子膜用有机（碳基）半导体材料制成的印刷电子的发展已经产生了几种有前途的技术，包括用于显示器的有机发光二极管、固态照明和有机光致发光。与无机半导体材料相比，有机电子材料的优点是其相对低的成本和可用性。然而，通常，有机电子器件中使用的活性层和电极在使用期间可能容易与水蒸气和/或氧气发生化学反应，从而降低它们的寿命、效率和整体性能。考虑到封装在有机电子产品的可靠性中的作用以及对这些产品不断增长的需求，迫切需要开发用于组装这些器件的先进渗透屏障。当在使用期间施加大的施加应变时，这些阻挡膜还必须是机械坚固的（抗开裂）。该奖项支持基础研究，为原子层沉积技术加工机械可靠的可吸收聚合物阻隔膜提供知识。此外，还计划为高中生提供暑期充实课程，以鼓励他们对STEM领域的教育和职业的兴趣。拟议研究的总体目标是提供原子层沉积应用于柔性印刷电子产品的超阻挡膜的机械可靠性的基本理解。 该实验方案将探讨加工条件，起始失效应变和材料成分/结构失效之间的关系，以阐明影响柔性电子器件中使用的原子层沉积屏障可靠性的因素。 这些膜与大多数原子层沉积膜的不同之处在于，它们在低于100°C的温度下加工，以与低成本基底和/或敏感的有机电子器件兼容。 因此，这些原子分层沉积膜的化学计量可能与在较高温度下处理的那些完全不同，导致未完全表征或理解的性质。 这项研究将提供一个系统的科学研究，以了解，预测和减少低温涂层的开裂，特别关注加工条件（温度，聚合物基材的化学官能化）对其阻隔性能和机械性能的影响。这将通过将最先进的机械测试与表面科学和多尺度建模研究相结合来实现，这些研究将提供原子分层沉积涂层的化学计量，其氢含量和分析的机械行为之间的联系。

Processing Mechanically Reliable Flexible Organic Electronic FilmsThe development of printed electronics made with organic (carbon-based) semiconductor materials has resulted in several promising technologies including organic light emitting diodes for displays, solid state lighting, and organic photovoltaics. The advantages of organic electronic materials are their relatively low cost and availability compared with inorganic semiconductor materials. However, in general, the active layers and electrodes used in organic electronics can be susceptible to chemical reactions with water vapor and/or oxygen during use, thereby reducing their lifetime, efficiency, and overall performance. There is a critical need to develop advanced permeation barriers for assembling these devices given the role the packaging has in the reliability of the organic electronics and the ever-increasing demand for these products. These barrier films must also be mechanically robust (resist cracking) when large applied strains are imposed during use. This award supports fundamental research to provide knowledge for the processing of mechanically reliable, ultrathin polymer barrier films processed with the atomic layer deposition technique. Additionally, summer enrichment programs are planned for high school students to encourage their interest in pursuing education and careers in STEM fields. The overarching goal of the proposed research is to provide a fundamental understanding of mechanical reliability of ultra-barrier films made by atomic layer deposition for application to flexible printed electronics. The experimental protocol will explore the relationship between processing conditions, onset failure strain, and material composition/structure failures to elucidate the factors that impact the reliability of atomic-layered-deposited barriers used in flexible electronics. These films differ from most atomic-layered-deposited film in that they are processed at temperatures below 100°C for compatibility with low cost substrates and/or sensitive organic electronic devices. Thus, the stoichiometry of these atomic-layered-deposited films can be quite different than those processed at higher temperatures, resulting in properties that are not fully characterized or understood. This research will provide a systematic scientific study to understand, predict and minimize cracking of low-temperature coatings, with a specific focus on the effects of processing conditions (temperature, chemical functionalization of the polymer substrates) on their barrier performance and mechanical properties. This will be enabled by coupling state-of-the-art mechanical testing with surface science and multi-scale modeling studies that will provide the link between the stoichiometry of the atomic-layered-deposited coatings, their hydrogen content, and the analyzed mechanical behavior.