Azadipyrromethene Complexes as a Versatile Platform for Next Generation of Solution-Processable Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Semiconductors

在这个由化学系大分子，超分子和纳米化学项目资助的项目中，凯斯西储大学化学系的Genevieve Sauve博士正在开发新的合成方法，通过掺入金属来制造半导体有机材料。 有机半导体是固体，其结构单元主要由碳原子和氢原子组成，有时还包括氮、硫和氧。 这些材料中的每个碳原子不仅通过单键与其他碳原子键合，而且还通过称为π键的特殊键与其他碳原子键合。交替的π键使分子（聚合物）能够传导电子。就像用硅制成的传统半导体一样，这些材料在施加电压（如晶体管）或照射光线（如光伏电池）时可以导电。 有机半导体的最大优势是它们可以像墨水一样印刷，从而实现电子设备的廉价和可扩展生产。 此外，有机半导体是塑料状的，可以生产柔性和轻质的器件，可以用于刚性和重型硅基器件无法使用的地方。 然而，基于有机半导体的器件往往具有比基于传统半导体的器件更低的性能。 在这项研究中，高度创新和创造性的化学反应被用于通过使用金属来改善有机半导体的性能。 向这些材料中添加金属的目的是不仅对电导率，而且对结晶度和溶液加工性能提供额外的控制。该项目中制备的材料预计将影响可打印电子行业，提供便携式设备和将太阳能转化为高价值电力的替代方法。 与这个项目相关的学生接触到跨学科的研究，并准备成为下一代的科学家。在YouTube上发布的教育和推广活动针对高中生和代表性不足的群体，因为视频演示了π共轭材料的实际应用。可溶液加工的有机半导体有望彻底改变电子和印刷行业，但要实现最理想的性能，需要新的创造性方法和合成策略。有机半导体设计的常规方法通常依赖于纯平面π共轭体系，其光电性质随化学主链、官能团和侧链的性质而调节。 为了获得新的功能，该项目转向混合有机/无机配位化合物，其中与主族或过渡金属的配位提供了一种额外的工具来调节π共轭体系的性质，如分子形状，结晶度和光电性质。 本研究利用氮杂二吡咯亚甲基配合物作为开发下一代可溶液加工的混合半导体的通用平台。 该研究有可能影响π共轭体系、可见近红外吸收染料和有机电子领域。该奖项反映了NSF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。

In this project funded by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program in the Division of Chemistry, Dr. Genevieve Sauve of the Department of Chemistry at Case Western Reserve University is developing new synthetic approaches for making semiconducting organic materials by incorporating metals. Organic semiconductors are solids whose building blocks mainly consist of carbon and hydrogen atoms, and at times nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen. Each carbon atom in these materials is bonded to other carbons not only through single bonds, but also with special bonds called pi-bonds. The alternating pi-bonds enables the molecules (polymers) to conduct electrons. Just like traditional semiconductors made with silicon, these materials can become conductive when one applies a voltage (like in transistors) or shines light on them (like in photovoltaic cells). The big advantage of organic semiconductors is that they can be printed, just like ink, enabling inexpensive and scalable production of electronic devices. In addition, organic semiconductors are plastic-like, producing flexible and lightweight devices that could be used where rigid and heavy silicon-based devices cannot. However, devices based on organic semiconductors tend to have lower performance than devices based on traditional semiconductors. In this research, highly innovative and creative chemical reactions are used to improve the performance of organic semiconductors by using metals. The purpose of adding metals to these materials is to provide additional control over not only electrical conductivity, but also crystallinity and solution processing properties. Materials prepared in this project are expected to impact the printable electronic industry, providing portable devices and alternative ways to convert solar energy to high value electricity. Students associated with this project are exposed to interdisciplinary research and are prepared to be next generation of scientists. Education and outreach activities posted on YouTube target high school students and underrepresented groups as the videos demonstration the real-life applications of pi-conjugated materials.Solution-processable organic semiconductors are poised to revolutionize the electronic and printing industries, but to achieve the most desirable properties, new creative approaches and synthetic strategies are required. Conventional approaches to organic semiconductor design typically rely on purely planar pi-conjugated systems whose opto-electronic properties are tuned with the nature of the chemical backbone, functional groups and side-chains. To access new functionalities, this project turns to hybrid organic/inorganic coordination compounds, where coordination with main group or transition metals provides an additional tool to tune the properties of pi-conjugated systems, such as molecular shape, crystallinity and opto-electronic properties. This research exploits azadipyrromethene complexes as a versatile platform for development of the next generation of solution-processable hybrid semiconductors. The research has the potential to impact the field of pi-conjugated systems, dyes with visible NIR absorption and organic electronics.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.