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

经济实惠、低成本的柔性电子产品可以彻底改变我们对设备的看法和使用方式，从显示器到环境和健康监测传感器，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体状态下如何相互作用的基本见解。本研究旨在设计和合成适用于各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和薄膜中的组装，以用于设备配置。参与该项目的学生将从其多学科性中获益：他们将接受交叉培训，并有机会通过相关的额外合作来扩展他们的知识和经验。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，提供领导机会，并鼓励他们参与丰富的经验，如工业实习、教学实习和能源政策课程。第2部分：技术概述稳健、可靠和灵活的设备可以为从医疗保健、环境质量和能源到安全等行业带来变革。计划中的研究项目将确定高性能、可溶性和坚固的pi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、表征并制成器件。光致发光研究将研究这些聚合物在溶液和溶剂蒸发过程中的行为。特别是，聚合物分子结构的选择将旨在设计具有扩展共轭长度的材料，这些材料可溶于更环保的溶剂选择，并允许调整HOMO/LUMO能级。目标材料将被表征，重要的材料结构-加工-性能参数将被确定。光谱研究将为共轭聚合物如何在溶液中自组装以及在沉积过程中形成与有效电荷传输相称的结构提供基本的见解。这些研究将支持通过良性溶剂的添加剂溶液加工制造坚固可靠的柔性光电器件的愿景。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.