Interplay of Molecular Structure and Solution Behavior in High Performance Conjugated Polymers

第1部分：非技术性总结廉价、低成本的柔性电子产品可能会彻底改变我们思考和使用设备的方式，应用范围从显示器到环境和健康监测的传感器，再到能源。为了实现这一愿景，需要新的材料，以及对这些材料在溶液和固态中如何相互作用的基本见解。本研究旨在设计和合成适用于多种先进器件技术的新型聚合物材料，并研究其溶液和固态特性。将探索不同的分子结构，以及基于溶液的工艺，以促进这些聚合物在溶液中和薄膜中的组装，以实现设备配置。参与该项目的学生将从该项目的多学科特性中获益：他们将接受交叉培训，并有机会通过相关的额外合作来扩大他们的知识和经验。学生将从佐治亚理工学院的化学与生物分子工程学院、材料科学与工程学院和化学与生物化学学院招收。他们将根据每个学生的兴趣和职业目标，为他们提供领导机会，并鼓励他们参与扩大经验，如工业实习、教学实习和能源政策课程。第2部分：技术总结可靠而灵活的设备可能会对从医疗保健、环境质量和能源到安全等行业产生变革。计划中的研究计划将确定高性能、可溶和坚固的圆周率共轭聚合物，这些聚合物有望表现出增强的场效应诱导电荷传输、光伏和热电性能。新的聚合物结构将被合成、表征和制造成器件。光致发光研究将研究这些聚合物在溶液和溶剂挥发过程中的行为。特别是，选择聚合物分子结构的目的是设计具有延长共轭长度的材料，这些材料可溶于环境友好的溶剂选项，并允许调节HOMO/LUMO能级。将对目标材料进行表征，并确定重要的材料结构-加工-性能参数。光谱研究将提供对共轭聚合物如何在溶液中和沉积过程中自组装成与有效电荷传输相称的结构的基本见解。这些研究将支持通过添加溶液处理从良性溶液中制造出坚固可靠的柔性光电子器件的愿景。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

PART 1: NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARYAffordable, low-cost flexible electronics could revolutionize how we think about and use devices in applications ranging from displays, to sensors for environmental and health monitoring, to energy. To attain this vision, new materials are needed, as are fundamental insights into how these materials interact with each other in solution and solid state. This research aims to design and synthesize new polymeric materials applicable to a broad range of advanced device technologies, and investigate their solution and solid-state characteristics. Different molecular architectures will be explored, as well as solution-based processes that facilitate assembly of these polymers in solution and in thin films for device configurations. Students participating in the program will realize benefits from its multidisciplinarity: they will be cross-trained and have opportunities to expand their knowledge and experience through relevant additional collaborations. Students will be recruited from the Schools of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering, and Chemistry & Biochemistry at Georgia Tech. They will be provided with leadership opportunities and encouraged to participate in broadening experiences, such as industrial internships, teaching practicums, and energy policy courses, based on each student's interests and career goals. PART 2: TECHNICAL SUMMARYRobust, reliable and flexible devices could be transformational for industries ranging from healthcare, environmental quality and energy, to security. The planned research program will identify high-performance, soluble and robust pi-conjugated polymers that are expected to exhibit enhanced field-effect induced charge transport, photovoltaic and thermo-electric properties. New polymer structures will be synthesized, characterized and fabricated into devices. Photoluminescence studies will investigate the behavior of these polymers in solution and during solvent evaporation. In particular, polymer molecular structures will be selected with the aim to design materials with extended conjugation lengths that are soluble in environmentally friendlier solvent options, and allow for tuning of HOMO/LUMO energy levels. The targeted materials will be characterized, and significant materials structure-processing-property parameters will be identified. Spectroscopic investigations will provide fundamental insight into how conjugated polymers self-assemble in solution and during the deposition processes into structures that are commensurate with effective charge transport. These studies will support the vision of robust and reliable flexible optoelectronic devices fabricated via additive solution processing from benign solvents.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.