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

该项目将探索可持续光电材料的新来源，用于可再生发电的有机光电子学。该项目使用生物衍生材料，真菌衍生色素。这种物质的一个例子是木茚定，它是一种由非致病性木材染色真菌绿木霉和绿木霉分泌的蓝绿色色素。这种颜料自15世纪以来一直用于艺术，由于其鲜艳的颜色和稳定性，但其光电特性尚未被探索。在这个项目中，木茚酮及其衍生物的（光）电子特性将被系统地研究，并纳入有机电子器件，如太阳能电池。除了有机电子领域，该项目还将影响木材产品和林业，这些行业将受益于具有市场价值的Chlorociboria虫害木材的商业潜力。该项目将提供丰富的跨学科经验，涉及物理，化学和木材科学参与研究生，本科生和大学预科学生。该项目的成果是支持使用这些材料的有机光化学的基础知识，以及从真菌/生物质资源中大规模生产颜料的能力。真菌衍生的色素非常丰富;它们代表了有机电子产品的一种未开发资源。该项目的目标是建立木茚定，一种平面共轭真菌衍生色素，及其衍生物的物理特性。该项目将致力于实现以下三个目标：建立木茚酮衍生物在溶液中的物理机制，建立氢键和π-π堆积对分子堆积和光电性能的影响，并探索木茚酮衍生物在（光）电子器件中的性能。实验旨在优化木材真菌提取，分批培养生长和纯化将结合分子生物物理学和木黄酮为基础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）电子学中使用生物衍生的（低成本、低毒性、丰富的）可持续来源;以及（B）探索π堆积和氢键的协同作用的可能性，以通过分子物理学和固态分子堆积的可调谐性来实现可调谐的光电子特性。这些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，纺织染料和商业涂料。

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.