The Design and Synthesis of Electron-Deficient Boron Containing Conjugated Polymers

在化学系大分子、超分子和纳米化学项目的支持下，阿拉巴马大学塔斯卡卢萨分校的Paul Rupar博士正在进行研究，以合成和表征具有独特电子特性的新型共轭聚合物。聚合物在现代生活中无处不在。聚合物的常见用途包括塑料、表面涂层和化妆品。共轭聚合物是聚合物的一个子类，它可以导电，并且有许多新兴的应用，包括在显示技术、太阳能电池和电子设备中的应用。除了提高基础化学知识，这项研究的目的是产生具有潜在应用于选择性气体传感器，有机太阳能电池和有机晶体管的新型聚合物。作为该项目更广泛影响的一部分，鲁帕尔集团与阿拉巴马州运动科学（ASIM）合作，这是一个全州范围的项目，为高中学生和教师提供引人入胜的实验室实验。一个新的ASIM教育实验模块正在开发中，以帮助加强阿拉巴马州西部的STEM教育，该地区的少数族裔比例很高。本项目主要研究新型含硼共轭聚合物的设计、合成和表征。3配位硼上的空p轨道是一个强的pi受体，当与pi系统共轭时，它增加了聚合物的电子亲和力。通过计算建模，Rupar小组已经确定了含有熔融硼环的聚合物（例如，硼芴）是有前途的缺电子共轭聚合物，可能用作n型导电材料。硼的包合也为具有固有传感能力的聚合物提供了潜力。本研究的重点是：1)合成含硼共轭均聚物并研究其n型导电性能；2)探索含硼共轭聚合物在富电子气体探测中的潜在应用；3)开发含硼供体/受体共聚物（包含交替的电子接受和电子给体部分）作为窄带隙共轭聚合物的新合成方法。

With the support from the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program of the Division of Chemistry, Dr. Paul Rupar of the University of Alabama Tuscaloosa is conducting research to synthesize and characterize novel conjugated polymers with unique electronic properties. Polymers are ubiquitous in modern life. Common uses of polymers include plastics, surface coatings, and cosmetic products. Conjugated polymers are a sub-class of polymers that can be conductive and have numerous emerging applications, including use in display technologies, solar cells, and electronic devices. In addition to advancing fundamental chemistry knowledge, this research aims to yield new polymers with potential applications in selective gas sensors, organic solar cells, and organic transistors. As a part of the broader impacts of this project, the Rupar Group collaborates with Alabama Science in Motion (ASIM), a statewide program that provides engaging laboratory experiments to high school students and teachers. A novel ASIM educational experiment module is being developed to help to enhance STEM education in west Alabama, a region with a high proportion of under-represented minorities. This project focuses on the design, synthesis and characterization of novel boron-containing conjugated polymers. The empty p-orbital on 3-coordinate boron is a strong pi-acceptor that increases the electron affinity of a polymer when conjugated with the pi-system. Using computational modeling, the Rupar group has identified polymers containing fused boron rings (e.g. borafluorenes) as promising electron-deficient conjugated polymers, potentially useful as n-type conducting materials. The inclusion of the boron also provides the potential for polymers with inherent sensing capabilities. The main thrusts of this research are: 1) to synthesize boron-containing conjugated homopolymers and study the n-type conducting properties; 2) to explore the potential application of boron-containing conjugated polymers in detecting electron-rich gas; and 3) to develop novel synthetic approaches to boron-containing donor/acceptor copolymers (which contain alternating electron-accepting and electron-donating moieties) as narrow band-gap conjugated polymers.