Functional polymer materials for electronic applications

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The objectives of this research program are to develop polymers with specific functionalities for next-generation sensors, solar cells, and batteries, create new knowledge in chemistry, materials science and engineering, and electrical engineering, and train HQP for the emerging technologies of wearable electronics, IoT, AI, and clean energy. These objectives will be achieved by conducting research in three areas. 1) Develop polymers for organic field-effect transistor sensors With the widespread adoption of wearable electronics, biomedical devices, and the Internet of Things (IoT), there is a strong and urgent demand for lightweight, flexible, and low-cost sensors. Organic field effect transistor (OFET) sensors have been extensively studied for these applications, but they still have certain performance issues. In this area we will develop new polymer semiconductors for OFET sensors to achieve high sensitivity and selectivity, fast signal response and long-term stability, which are the key to the practical application of OFET sensors. 2) Develop polymers for next-generation solar cells Organic solar cells (OSCs) have many advantages such as light weight, good flexibility, non-toxicity, and low cost, but their power conversion efficiency (PCE), stability and manufacturability still cannot meet commercial needs. The root cause of all these problems of OSCs is the high exciton binding energy (Eb) of organic materials. In this area we will develop new polymers with extremely low Eb to solve the problems related to the current OSCs, thereby realizing a new generation of commercially viable OSCs. 3) Develop polymers for high energy density and stable organic batteries Batteries using electrochemically active organic materials are inexpensive, environmentally friendly and flexible, but still have the problems of low specific capacity and poor stability. In this area, new polymers will be developed to solve these issues. In particular, extended conjugation will be introduced to increase conductivity, a higher content of redox active groups will be incorporated to increase specific capacity, and strong electron donating and withdrawing substituents will be used to increase the discharge voltage. These proposed research topics are in an under-explored or unexplored state and have enormous potential for practical application. The expected outcome of this program will push research boundaries, create new knowledge, and achieve breakthroughs and innovations in numerous disciplines of the natural and engineering sciences, including chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science and engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, energy, and the environment. The research will also train multiple HQPs with the multidisciplinary knowledge and skills and strong leadership for Canadian academia and industry in these areas.