NER: Dip-Pen Nanolithographic Templates for Conjugated Polymer Photovoltaic Devices

本NER提案旨在开发一种控制薄膜聚合物光伏器件性能的新方法。这将通过使用纳米图案表面模板来化学诱导半导体聚合物混合物在10-100纳米长度尺度上的相分离，并通过展示这些模板可用于优化光伏器件性能来实现。该项目将促进可再生能源开发的社会目标，同时也将促进对共轭聚合物共混物中纳米级相分离与光电性能之间关系的理解的科学目标。为了实现这些目标，我们将使用Dip-Pen纳米光刻技术（DPN）在电极表面生成单层厚的纳米级图案，共轭聚合物的混合物将从溶液中自旋涂覆到电极表面。该方案将确定模板化学对聚合物共混膜相分离的影响。在确定了允许在适当长度尺度上控制形貌的条件后，我们将把共混物的性能和光物理性质与其形貌联系起来。感兴趣的10-100 nm长度尺度与DPN的分辨率匹配良好。这一建议将为我们提供一种新的方法，系统地探索有机半导体共混物中纳米级形貌和光电子性能之间的关系，利用DPN作为“快速成型”工具。更广泛的影响以环境可持续的方式满足世界不断增长的人口的能源需求是当今社会面临的一项根本挑战。通过该提案开发的表面模板可以适应高通量接触印刷程序，从而可以使用聚合物半导体开发低成本，高效率的光伏电池。此外，该项目将为研究生和本科生提供跨学科的研究培训，该提案将支持在一个目前女性占50%，本科生占25%的实验室进行培训。

This NER proposal seeks to develop a new method for controlling the performance thin-film polymer photovoltaic devices. This will be accomplished by using nanopatterned surface templates to chemically induce phase separation in semiconducting polymer blends on the 10-100 nm length scale and by showing that such templates can be used to optimize photovoltaic device performance. This project will advance the societal goal of developing renewable energy sources while it advances the scientific goal of enhancing understanding of the relationship between nanoscale phase separation and the optoelectronic properties in conjugated polymer blends. To achieve these objectives, we will use Dip-Pen Nanolithography (DPN) to generate monolayer-thick nanoscale patterns on electrode surfaces onto which blends of conjugated polymers will be spin-coated from solution. The proposal will determine the effects of the template chemistry on phase-separation in the polymer blend films. After identifying conditions that allow control over the morphology on the appropriate length scale, we will correlate the performance and photophysical properties of the blends with their morphology. The 10-100 nm length scale of interest is well-matched to the resolution of DPN. This proposal will provide us with a new means to systematically probe the relationship between nanoscale morphology and optoelectronic properties in blends of organic semiconductors by using DPN as a 'rapid prototyping' tool.Broader ImpactsMeeting the energy needs of the world's growing population in an environmentally sustainable fashion is a fundamental challenge facing society today. The surface templates developed through this proposal could be adapted to high-throughput contact printing procedures and could thereby lead to the development of low-cost, high-efficiency photovoltaic cells using polymeric semiconductors. Furthermore, this project will provide interdisciplinary research training to graduate and undergraduate students and this proposal will support training in a lab that is presently ~50% female, and 25% undergraduate.