Development of novel conjugated polymers for printed electronics

印刷电子具有广泛和无处不在的应用，包括柔性显示器、智能卡、智能封装、太阳能电池、传感器、电池、超级电容器、热电器件、光电探测器、存储器件等。可以预见，印刷电子将在不久的将来发展成为一个巨大的全球市场。共轭聚合物是印刷电子学的重要材料。然而，电子传输n型共轭聚合物的电性能（如载流子迁移率）和稳定性不足仍然是许多实际应用的障碍。 拟议的研究将i）开发新型n型共轭聚合物，以解决目前存在于许多印刷电子应用中的关键问题; ii）为n型共轭聚合物的结构-性能关系提供新的见解; iii）开辟印刷电子的新应用机会。 第一，本计画旨在发展新型的n型共轭高分子逻辑电路。高迁移率的n型聚合物对于显示器和射频识别标签的逻辑电路至关重要。现有的n型聚合物具有不足的载流子迁移率和稳定性。该计划将设计和开发用于构建高迁移率n型聚合物所需的新型电子接受构建块。 第二，本建议是开发用于印刷柔性热电器件的新型n型共轭聚合物。热电装置可用于从废热发电（作为能源）或改变物体的温度（作为加热器或冷却器）。近年来，共轭聚合物被发现具有良好的热电性能，在低成本、柔性热电应用中具有潜在的应用价值。本计划将开发高性能的n型共轭聚合物基热电材料，以更好地了解结构要求并提高热电性能。 第三，该提案是开发用于电池的新型n型共轭聚合物。尽管取得了许多进展，但电池的整体性能仍需要大幅提高，以满足电动汽车和便携式电子设备等目标新应用的要求。本项目将设计新型n型共轭聚合物作为下一代高能量密度、轻质和柔性可充电电池的电极材料。 通过这项研究，将为推动自然科学和工程，创造新知识，发明突破性技术，培养高素质人才，促进加拿大经济，提高加拿大人的生活质量做出重大贡献。

Printed electronics have wide-spread and ubiquitous applications including flexible displays, smart cards, intelligent packaging, solar cells, sensors, batteries, supercapacitors, thermoelectrics, photodetectors, memory devices, etc. It is envisioned that printed electronics will grow into a large global market in the near future. Conjugated polymers are the enabling materials for the printed electronics. However, the insufficient electrical performance (such as carrier mobility) and stability of electron transport n-type conjugated polymers still remain as barriers to many practical applications. The proposed research will i) develop novel n-type conjugated polymers to address critical issues currently existing in a number of printed electronic applications; ii) provide new insight into the structure-property relationship of n-type conjugated polymers; and iii) open up new application opportunities of printed electronics. First, this proposal is to develop novel n-type conjugated polymers for logic circuits. High mobility n-type polymers are essential to enable logic circuits for displays and radio-frequency identification tags. Existing n-type polymers have inadequate carrier mobility and stability. This program will design and develop novel electron accepting building blocks required for constructing high mobility n-type polymers. Second, this proposal is to develop novel n-type conjugated polymers for printed flexible thermoelectric devices. A thermoelectric device can be used to generate electricity from waste heat (as an energy source) or change the temperature of objects (as a heater or cooler). Recently conjugated polymers are found to exhibit promising thermoelectric performance and potentially very useful for low-cost, flexible thermoelectric applications. This program will develop high performance n-type conjugated polymer-based thermoelectric materials to gain a better understanding of the structural requirements and to enhance the thermoelectric performance. Third, this proposal is to develop novel n-type conjugated polymers for batteries. Despite the numerous advances, the overall performance of batteries still needs a substantial improvement to meet the requirement of the target new applications such as electric vehicles and portable electronic devices. This program will design novel n-type conjugated polymers as electrode materials for the next-generation high energy density, light-weight, and flexible rechargeable batteries. Through this research, significant contributions will be made to advance the natural science and engineering, create new knowledge, invent breakthrough technologies, train highly qualified personnel, boost Canadian economy, and improve the life quality of Canadians.