CAREER: Development of Novel Electroactive Polymer Assemblies

响应于电场而改变形状的电活性聚合物正在成为传感器、致动器、人造肌肉和微机电系统等先进电子设备中的关键部件。 该CRAEER项目旨在（1）开发基于多个电活性聚合物的合理设计，分子工程和分级组装的新一代机电材料，以及（2）实现对铁电聚合物中新型纳米结构，超分子形态和物理性质之间关系的基本理解。 所提出的研究计划的一个关键方面是利用半导体有机材料中的纳米级离域p电子来大幅提高铁电聚合物的介电常数和机电响应。 具体而言，p-共轭低聚物将共价结合到具有受控密度的铁电含氟聚合物中，并且将研究机电响应和介电性质与共轭长度和电导率的相关性。 新型遥爪含氟烯烃的可控聚合方法将被开发并用于机电聚合物嵌段结构的合成。 该研究方法提供了独特的机会，通过控制铁电氟聚合物中共轭低聚物的纳米级组织来调节固态物理性能，如介电和机电响应，该跨学科研究将为真正新型的高性能材料在能量存储，能量收集和先进微电子学中的应用奠定基础。能够在传统学科之间的接口工作的未来科学家将在该计划中接受培训和教育。 除了研究生研究助理，本科生和少数民族将整体参与拟议的研究计划。 将为中学制作一系列教育录像，并提供辅助教材，对象是7至12年级。 这个多媒体包将在宾夕法尼亚州公共广播系统站创建，通过他们的视频流网站和国家教育视频互联网网站分发。

Electroactive polymers that change shape in response to an electric field are becoming crucial components in advanced electronic devices such as sensors, actuators, artificial muscles, and microelectromechanical systems. This CRAEER project seeks (1) to develop a new generation of electromechanical materials based on rational design, molecular engineering and hierarchical assembly of multiple electroactive polymers, and (2) to achieve fundamental understanding of the correlations between novel nanostructure, supramolecular morphology and physical properties in ferroelectric polymers. A key aspect of the proposed research program is to utilize nanoscale delocalized p-electrons in semiconducting organic materials to substantially raise the dielectric constant and electromechanical responses of the ferroelectric polymers. Specifically, p-Conjugated oligomers will be covalently incorporated into the ferroelectric fluoropolymers with a controlled density, and the correlations of electromechanical responses and dielectric properties with conjugation length and conductivity will be investigated. New controlled polymerization methods for telechelic fluoroalkenes will be developed and utilized for the synthesis of block architectures of the electromechanical polymers. The proposed research approaches offer unique opportunities to tune the solid-state physical properties, such as dielectric and electromechanical responses, via the control of nanoscopic organization of conjugated oligomers in ferroelectric fluoropolymers.The proposed interdisciplinary research will form the ground work for a truly new class of high-performance materials for applications in energy storage, energy harvesting, and advanced microelectronics. Future scientists capable of working at the interface between traditional disciplines will be trained and educated within this program. In addition to graduate research assistants, undergraduates and minorities will be integrally involved in the proposed research program. A series of educational videos with supporting classroom materials will be produced for secondary schools, targeting the 7th through 12th grades. This multimedia package will be created at the Penn State Public Broadcasting System station for distribution through their video streaming website and national educational video internet sites.