Shape Persistent, Dynamic, and Liquid Crystalline Materials for Sensor and Electronic Devices

非技术摘要有机电子材料有许多应用，并将成为美国创新经济的一个日益重要的因素。实现这些材料的全部潜力需要新的研究，例如将在本提案中进行的开发新的功能材料和组织原则的研究。在NSF的资助下，将开发液晶科学和有机电子材料交界处的新方法。从这项工作中获得的技术有可能在化学传感器和高性能有机电子的形成中找到商业应用。这项提议还将支持研究生和本科生的教育，遵循为学生提供广泛的、自力更生的技术背景的教育模式，以及领导力、管理和创业方面的教育。这位首席研究员致力于增加科学和工程领域的多样性，并继续组织未来教师研讨会，为代表不足的群体竞争学术生涯做准备。这次研讨会已经举办了第七个年头，并且非常成功。首席研究员还深入参与麻省理工学院的多样性努力，领导创建奖学金的努力，组织年度研讨会以激励/促进代表不足的群体进入研究生院学习，并接待代表不足的本科生进行暑期研究体验。技术摘要在材料研究部固态和材料化学计划的支持下，这项研究旨在探索应用于电活性材料的液晶科学概念。提出了新的分子支架和相互作用来创建受体分子和小分子之间的相互作用，以创建化学传感器。新的设计包括使用C-H……圆周率相互作用来创建苯和甲烷的受体。提出了基于硫代菲的电活性形状变化分子在有机半导体和传感领域的应用前景。将探索它们与小分子、金属离子和碳纳米管的相互作用。硫杂菲的动力学行为也被认为是降低刚性板状分子熔点的一种机制。这种方法旨在创造显示液晶秩序和熔体可加工性的新一代有机半导体。将为有毒金属和植物激素乙烯生产传感设备。新一代耐化学腐蚀传感器将利用在石墨烯和碳纳米管表面具有长烷基侧链的刚性分子的自组装。对石墨表面自组装单分子膜的扫描隧道显微镜(STM)成像所形成的化学动力学和结构进行了联合分析。

Non-Technical AbstractOrganic electronic materials have many applications and will be an increasing element of the innovation economy of the United States. Realizing the full potential of these materials requires new research, such as will be undertaken in this proposal to develop novel functional materials and organizational principles. Under this NSF funding new methods at the interface of liquid crystal science and organic electronic materials will be developed. Technologies to come from this work have the potential to find commercial applications in the formation of chemical sensors and high performance organic electronics. This proposal will also support the education of graduate students and undergraduates following an educational model that provides students with a broad, self-reliant technical background as well as education in leadership, management, and entrepreneurship. The lead researcher has a deep commitment to increasing diversity in science and engineering and continues to organize the Future Faculty Workshop, which prepares underrepresented groups to compete for academic careers. This workshop is in its 7th year and is highly successful. The lead researcher is also deeply involved in MIT's diversity efforts and led efforts for the creation of fellowships, organizes an annual workshop to inspire/facilitate underrepresented groups to attend graduate school, and hosts underrepresented undergraduate students for summer research experiences.Technical AbstractWith support from the Solid State and Materials Chemistry Program in the Division of Materials Research, this research is directed at the exploration of concepts of liquid crystal science applied to electroactive materials. New molecular scaffolds and interactions are proposed to create interactions between receptor molecules and small molecules for the creation of chemical sensors. New designs include the use of C-H...pi interactions to create receptors for benzene and methane. Electroactive shape changing molecules based upon thianthrene are proposed as prospects for organic semiconductors as well as sensory applications. Their interactions with small molecules, metal ions, and carbon nanotubes will be explored. The dynamic behavior of thianthrenes is also proposed as a mechanism to reduce the melting point of rigid board-like molecules. This approach is directed at creating new generations of organic semiconductors that display liquid crystalline order and melt processability. Sensory devices will be produced for toxic metals and the plant hormone ethylene. New generations of chemiresisitve sensors will make use of the self-assembly of rigid molecules having long alkyl sidechains on graphene and carbon nanotube surfaces. A combined analysis of the chemical dynamics and structures formed by scanning tunneling microscope (STM) imaging of self-assembled monolayers on graphite is proposed.