Hybrid metal-containing conjugated materials

全球对替代能源和储存的需求日益增长，需要开发能够满足这一需求的新技术。对环境的担忧催生了对能够即时检测有毒气体和污染物的新化学传感器的需求。为了继续推动通信和显示技术的发展，需要更小、更薄、更轻、耗电更少的电子设备。开发新的功能材料以满足这些需求是本研究计划的重点。发展新兴传感器材料、能量收集和储存以及分子器件技术。该计划的长期目标是通过将共轭分子和聚合物(分子线)的光电行为与金属络合物和其他无机材料的化学、光学和电子性能相结合，发现和应用具有新的和改进的性能的材料。环境传感器、太阳能电池、分子开关和气体储存都是这些新材料的应用目标。这一拟议研究计划的具体目标包括：(A)开发用于太阳能收集的新型含金属共轭材料；(B)制备新的基于金属的分子传感器，并评估其对化学分析的响应；以及(C)制备包含共轭聚合物和低聚物的新的纳米材料和金属-有机骨架。将对新发现的材料的性能进行评估，并将有希望的候选材料整合到原型设备中，以确定其应用的可行性。该计划将培训学生和博士后研究员现代跨学科材料化学，为他们在学术界和工业的职业生涯做好准备。

The growing worldwide demand for alternative energy sources and storage requires the development of new technologies capable of addressing this demand. Environmental concerns have created a demand for new chemical sensors capable of instantaneous detection of toxic gases and pollutants. Smaller, thinner, lighter and less power-hungry electronic devices are needed to continue to advance communication and display technologies. The development of new functional materials to address these needs is the focus of this research program. Materials for emerging sensor, energy harvesting and storage, and molecular device technologies will be developed. Long term objectives of the program are to discover and apply materials which have new and improved properties, by combining the optoelectronic behavior of conjugated molecules and polymers (molecular wires) with the chemical, optical and electronic properties of metal complexes and other inorganic materials. Environmental sensors, solar cells, molecular switches, and gas storage are targeted as applications for these new materials. The specific goals of this proposed research program include: (a) development of new metal-containing conjugated materials for application in solar energy harvesting; (b) preparation of new metal-based molecular sensors, and evaluation of their response to chemical analytes and (c) preparation of new nanomaterials and metal-organic frameworks which incorporate conjugated polymers and oligomers. Properties of the newly discovered materials will be evaluated, and promising candidates incorporated into prototype devices to determine their viability for applications. This program will train students and postdoctoral fellows in modern interdisciplinary materials chemistry, preparing them for careers in academia and industry.