Side-Chain Driven Assembly of Polymer Semiconductors

聚合物半导体的侧链驱动组装

• 批准号: 2108123
• 负责人: Natalie Stingelin
• 金额: $ 48万
• 依托单位: Georgia Tech Research Corporation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-07-01 至 2024-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2108123&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Side; Chain; Driven; Assembly; Polymer

With the support of the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry program in the Division of Chemistry, Prof. Natalie Stingelin and Dr. Anna M. Österholm of Georgia Institute of Technology are studying fundamental processes that underlie the assembly of polymer semiconductors. The local arrangements of these long chain macromolecules dictate important photophysical, electronic and electrochemical processes in this broad class of materials. All of these processes are important in a range of optoelectronic device platforms, such as LED (light-emitted) screens, wearable electronics, and even bioelectronics. In this research, semiconducting polymers will be prepared in which the main polymer backbone is decorated with side-chains of different lengths, densities, and polarity. Optoelectronic properties will then be investigated to gain further understanding on how they depend on side-chain arrangement and subsequent backbone ordering. As opposed to conventional synthetic approaches, this research will use electricity and blending with surfactants to manipulate and control side-chain assembly. Relevant physical processes associated with polymer dynamics will be investigated using a plethora of sophisticated experimental tools. They include linear and vibrational spectroscopies, thermal analysis, and electrochemical measurements that allow for rapid evaluation of polymer assembly motifs. This project will create a highly multidisciplinary and diverse research and education environment for students where they will be exposed to academic and industrial perspectives, national laboratories, as well as national and international collaborators. The research team will also partner with the Georgia Tech’s Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics, the Georgia Tech Polymer Network, and groups such as Women in Materials Science and Engineering (WiMSE) and Women in Chemistry (WiC) to develop a set of diversity-supported programs focusing on preparing underrepresented minorities for faculty positions. This research aims to provide fundamental insights of the physics underlying the assembly of polymer semiconductors, focusing on answering the question of what role side-chain design plays in dictating backbone order/disorder. Particular emphasis is placed on the use of electrochemical and physicochemical approaches to control the side-chain interactions and subsequent backbone order in various polydioxythiophenes to deliver an assembly framework that exploits the sidechain arrangement for dictating backbone ordering. Side-chain motifs that promote supramolecular assembly in neat polymer semiconductor systems into solid-state structures with little backbone distortion will first be identified with a strong emphasis on chemical structure, side-chain branching point location, and side-chain density. Electrochemical doping will then be utilized to investigate changes in polymer assemblies and how they influence both redox and charge transport properties. Lastly, small molecule additives will be blended with a polymer semiconductor to examine their effect on backbone conformation. This research will address fundamental questions in the field of conjugated polymers through extrinsic approaches rather than the synthetic ones. If successful, the proposed work will have a major impact on the semiconducting polymer field, particularly optoelectronic device platforms, such as organic light-emitting diodes, organic photovoltaics, organic field-effect transistors, as well as emerging technologies for bioelectronics and neuromorphic sensing.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.

在化学系大分子、超分子和纳米化学项目的支持下，娜塔莉·斯廷格林教授和安娜·M·格鲁吉亚理工学院的奥斯特霍尔姆正在研究聚合物半导体组装的基本过程。这些长链大分子的局部排列决定了这类材料中重要的物理、电子和电化学过程。所有这些过程在一系列光电设备平台中都很重要，例如LED（发光）屏幕，可穿戴电子产品，甚至生物电子产品。在这项研究中，将制备半导体聚合物，其中主要的聚合物主链装饰有不同长度，密度和极性的侧链。然后将研究光电特性，以进一步了解它们如何依赖于侧链排列和随后的主链排序。与传统的合成方法相反，这项研究将使用电力和与表面活性剂混合来操纵和控制侧链组装。与聚合物动力学相关的物理过程将使用大量复杂的实验工具进行研究。它们包括线性和振动光谱，热分析和电化学测量，允许快速评估聚合物组装图案。该项目将为学生创造一个高度多学科和多样化的研究和教育环境，他们将接触到学术和工业观点，国家实验室以及国家和国际合作者。该研究团队还将与格鲁吉亚技术中心的有机光子学和电子学，格鲁吉亚技术聚合物网络，以及团体，如妇女在材料科学与工程（WiMSE）和妇女在化学（WiC）开发一套多样性支持的计划，重点是准备代表性不足的少数民族教师职位。 这项研究旨在提供聚合物半导体组装物理学的基本见解，重点是回答侧链设计在决定主链有序/无序中起什么作用的问题。特别强调的是使用电化学和物理化学的方法来控制侧链的相互作用和随后的骨干顺序在各种聚二氧噻吩提供一个组装框架，利用侧链安排支配骨干订购。侧链图案，促进超分子组装在净聚合物半导体系统到固态结构，几乎没有骨干扭曲将首先确定与化学结构，侧链分支点的位置，和侧链密度的强烈强调。电化学掺杂，然后将被用来研究聚合物组件的变化，以及它们如何影响氧化还原和电荷传输性能。最后，将小分子添加剂与聚合物半导体混合，以检查它们对主链构象的影响。这项研究将解决共轭聚合物领域的基本问题，通过外在的方法，而不是合成的。如果成功，拟议的工作将对半导体聚合物领域产生重大影响，特别是光电器件平台，如有机发光二极管，有机光电子器件，有机场效应晶体管，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的评估来支持。影响审查标准。