Development of new organophosphorus materials for sustainable energy applications

拟议的研究计划的目标是为实际应用设计新的基于有机磷的建筑模块和材料，以降低我们人为的碳足迹。跨学科项目的首要主题是通过量身定制的化学合成有效和可持续地利用，转换和/或储存能量。为此，该计划涵盖了材料化学的全部广度，包括在原子和分子尺度上对物质的操纵，其次是建模，测量和成像。在过去十年左右的时间里，我的研究小组已经发现了一组非常理想的特性，这些特性证实了含磷建筑材料在各种可持续能源应用中的高实用性，特别是那些涉及能源有效利用的应用。

The proposed research program targets the design of new organophosphorus-based building blocks and materials for practical applications that lower our anthropogenic carbon footprint. The overarching theme of the interdisciplinary program is the efficient and sustainable use, conversion, and/or storage of energy via tailor-made chemical synthesis. To this end, the program covers the full breadth of materials chemistry encompassing the manipulation of matter at the atomic and molecular scale, next to modeling, measuring, and imaging. Over the past decade or so, my research group has carved out a set of highly desirable properties that confirm the high utility of phosphorus-containing building blocks for a variety of sustainable energy applications, particularly those that involve the efficient use of energy. Moving forward with this foundational knowledge, the most impactful avenues for the proposed program in the next five years are three main thrusts that focus on enabling energy-saving technologies, or to provide a means of storing energy, either as charges or in chemical bonds. The proposed research program will specifically develop novel battery materials that are capable of storing multiple charges, using a building-block and self-assembly approach. It will further involve the targeted development of materials that exhibit thermally-activated delayed fluorescence for application in organic light-emitting devices with improved energy efficiency. Moreover, energy can also efficiently be stored in chemical bonds, particularly in species that can then act as conventional hydrocarbon fuels or non-conventional fuels. A third focus area of the proposal is thus the development of novel conjugated organophosphorus species for metal-free small-molecule activation. It is envisioned that the required energy input for the targeted chemical conversions is photonic in nature. Focus of this part of the proposal will thus be the exploration and development of photocatalytic redox activities of the new species. This program with its primary focus on next-generation clean energy solutions will enable Canada to take on a leadership position in providing a sustainable future for our planet via new energy-efficient technologies and a considerably diversified energy portfolio.