SusChEM: Naturally produced fungal compounds for sustainable (opto)electronics

该项目将探索用于可再生发电的有机光伏的可持续光电材料的新来源。本项目使用生物衍生材料，真菌衍生颜料。这种材料的一个例子是木质素，它是一种蓝绿色的色素，由非致病性的木材染色真菌绿绿绿脓杆菌和原产于美国西北太平洋的铜绿绿脓杆菌分泌。由于其鲜艳的颜色和稳定性，这种色素自15世纪以来一直用于艺术中，但其光电特性尚未被探索。本项目将系统研究木质素及其衍生物的光电性质，并将其应用于太阳能电池等有机电子器件中。除了有机电子领域外，该项目还将影响木材产品和林业工业，这些工业将从具有市场价值的受绿孢子虫感染的木材中增加的商业潜力中受益。该项目将为参与的研究生、本科生和大学预科学生提供丰富的跨学科经验，包括物理、化学和木材科学。该项目的成果是支持使用这些材料的有机光伏发电的基础知识，以及从真菌/生物质资源中大规模生产色素的能力。真菌衍生色素丰富；它们代表了有机电子学尚未开发的资源。本课题的目的是建立木lindein（一种平面共轭真菌衍生色素）及其衍生物的光物理特性。本项目将实现以下三个目标：建立木质素衍生物在溶液中的光物理机制；建立氢键和pi-pi堆叠之间的相互作用对分子包装和光电性能的影响；探索木质素衍生物在光电器件中的性能。实验旨在优化木真菌的提取、批量培养生长和纯化，并结合分子光物理和基于木质素的有机半导体器件的表征。该项目为以下方面创造了独特的机会：(a)在光电产品中使用生物衍生（低成本、低毒性、丰富）可持续来源；(b)通过分子光物理和固态分子包装的可调性，探索pi堆叠和氢键协同工作的可能性。这一结果不仅对有机电子领域很重要，而且对依赖氢键颜料的应用也很重要，包括彩色打印机油墨、纺织染料和商业油漆。

The project will explore a new source of sustainable optoelectronic materials for organic photovoltaics for renewable electricity generation. This project uses bio-derived materials, fungi-derived pigments. An example of such materials is xylindein, which is a blue-green pigment secreted by the non-pathogenic wood-staining fungi Chlorociboria aeruginosa and C. aeruginascens native to the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. This pigment has been used in art since the 15th century, owing to its vibrant color and stability, but its optoelectronic properties have not been explored. In this project, (opto)electronic properties of xylindein and its derivatives will be systematically investigated and incorporated into organic electronic devices such as solar cells. In addition to the field of organic electronics, the project will impact wood products and forestry industries, which stand to benefit from increased commercial potential from Chlorociboria-infested wood having market value. The project will provide a rich interdisciplinary experience involving physics, chemistry, and wood science to the participating graduate, undergraduate, and pre-college students. The outcome of this project is fundamental knowledge supporting organic photovoltaics using these materials and the ability to mass produce the pigments from fungi/biomass resources. Fungi-derived pigments are abundant; they represent a largely unexplored resource for organic electronics. The goal of the project is to establish photophysical characteristics of xylindein, a planar conjugated fungi-derived pigment, and its derivatives. The project will aim to fulfill the following three objectives: to establish the mechanisms that govern photophysics of xylindein derivatives in solution, to establish effects of interplay between hydrogen bonding and pi-pi stacking on molecular packing and optoelectronic properties, and to explore performance of xylindein derivatives in (opto)electronic devices. Experiments aiming to optimize wood fungi extraction, batch culture growth, and purification will be combined with characterization of molecular photophysics and xylindein-based organic semiconductor devices. The project creates unique opportunities for: (a) the use of bio-derived (low-cost, low-toxicity, abundant) sustainable sources in (opto)electronics; and (b) the possibility to explore synergistic work of pi-stacking and hydrogen bonding for tunable optoelectronic properties via tunability of molecular photophysics and solid-state molecular packing. The results will be important not only for the field of organic electronics, but also for applications relying on hydrogen-bonded pigments that include color printer inks, textile dyes, and commercial paints.