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

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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.