Understanding the Links among Structure, Processing, and Electronic/Ionic Properties in Soft Mixed Conductors

非技术描述：混合导体，即具有利用电子和离子导电能力的材料，有许多潜在的应用。这些材料能够产生影响的最吸引人的领域之一是生物物质和电子之间的界面，前者的生理作用是通过离子通量进行的，后者的作用是通过移动电子来进行的。这一研究项目的目标是深入了解这些材料的分子结构及其加工条件如何影响它们作为离子信号到电子信号的换能器的能力。更好地了解这些材料可能会对社会的许多领域产生影响，从能源管理到人类健康。除了这些更广泛的好处外，在这个新兴领域教育学生还有助于培养一支训练有素的劳动力队伍，为市场开发材料和设备做好准备。与该项目相关的推广工作涉及当地一所有大量拉丁裔人口的高中。技术描述：除了有机电子导体外，有机混合导体是一种很有前途的材料类别，在许多领域都有潜在的应用，如电化学电池和生物电子。与传统的共轭聚合物相比，混合导体具有包含离子导电相的额外复杂性。离子传导和电子传导相的相互作用是这些材料运行的核心。该项目旨在建立混合导体的结构-性质关系，并深入了解混合导体的工作原理。具体地说，基于聚(3，4-乙二氧基噻吩基)(PEDOT)的共混物的形态可以通过改变PEDOT在共混物中的配对或通过加工来广泛地调节。有机电化学晶体管(OECT)的电学特性和响应模型允许测量载流子迁移率以及离子导电和电子导电相的纠缠程度。电荷调制光谱用于研究载流子的极化子或双极化子的性质。基于X射线散射和电子显微镜进行了结构表征，以了解形态如何影响混合导体的官能度。该项目还计划研究在单个分子中整合离子传导功能和电子传导功能的新材料。

Nontechnical Description: Mixed conductors, i.e., materials that have the ability to conduct electricity using both electrons and ions, have many potential applications. One of the most appealing areas on which these materials can have an impact is the interface between living matter, whose physiology operates via ion fluxes, and electronics, which operate by moving electrons. The goal of this research project is to provide an in-depth understanding of how the molecular structure of these materials and their processing conditions affect their ability to operate as transducers of ionic signals into electronic signals. Better knowledge of these materials could impact many areas of society, from the management of energy to human health. In addition to these broader benefits, educating students in this emerging area contributes to producing a trained workforce ready to develop materials and devices for the marketplace. Outreach efforts associated with this project involve a local high school with a large Latino population.Technical Description: Beyond organic electronic conductors, organic mixed conductors are a promising category of materials with potential applications in many areas, such as electrochemical cells and bioelectronics. Compared to the conventional conjugated polymers, mixed conductors have the added complexity of containing an ion-conducting phase. The interplay of the transport of the ion conducting and the electron conducting phase is at the heart of the operation of these materials. This project aims to establish the structure-property relationships in mixed conductors and to develop an in-depth understanding of how mixed conductors work. Specifically, the morphology of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)-based blends is widely tunable by changing the partner of PEDOT in the blend or by processing. The electrical characterization and modeling of the response of organic electrochemical transistors (OECT) allow the measurement of carrier mobility and the degree of entanglement of the ion conducting and electron conducting phase. Charge modulation spectroscopy is used to study the polaronic or bipolaronic nature of the carriers. Structural characterization, based on X-ray scattering and electron microscopy, is carried out to understand how morphology affects the functionality of mixed conductors. The project also plans to study new materials that integrate the ionic conduction functionality and the electronic conduction functionality in a single molecule.