Development of novel conjugated polymers for printed electronics

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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.