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

在化学系大分子、超分子和纳米化学计划的支持下，阿拉巴马大学塔斯卡卢萨大学的保罗·鲁帕博士正在进行研究，以合成和表征具有独特电子性能的新型共轭聚合物。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、表面涂料和化妆品。共轭聚合物是聚合物的一个子类，它可以导电，并有许多新兴的应用，包括在显示技术、太阳能电池和电子设备中的使用。除了提高基础化学知识外，这项研究还旨在生产在选择性气体传感器、有机太阳能电池和有机晶体管方面具有潜在应用的新型聚合物。作为该项目更广泛影响的一部分，RUPAR集团与阿拉巴马州运动科学(ASIM)合作，这是一个全州范围的计划，为高中生和教师提供引人入胜的实验室实验。正在开发一种新的ASIM教育实验模块，以帮助加强阿拉巴马州西部的STEM教育，这是一个少数民族比例较高的地区。本项目致力于新型含硼共轭聚合物的设计、合成和表征。三配位硼上的空p轨道是一种强的pi-受体，当与pi-体系共轭时，它会增加聚合物的电子亲和力。利用计算模型，Rupar小组确定了含有稠合硼环的聚合物(例如，硼氟烯)是很有前途的缺电子共轭聚合物，有可能用作n型导电材料。硼的加入也为具有固有传感能力的聚合物提供了可能性。本研究的主要内容是：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探测富电子气体方面的潜在应用；3)开发新的合成方法，将含硼的给体/受体共聚物(含硼的受主/受主交替存在)作为窄禁带共轭聚合物。

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.