CAREER: Engineering and Integration of Polymer Electronic Materials for Alternative Energies

[0846245]知识价值：随着对清洁替代能源的需求日益增长，太阳代表着一个巨大的可持续能源。聚合物基太阳能电池被视为一种解决方案，它将允许更广泛的太阳能收集。然而，聚合物基太阳能电池的性能一直不够理想。在体异质结器件中，效率低下是由于共轭聚合物的高带隙与太阳光谱的不匹配，以及由于结构和形态缺陷而导致的电荷产生和电荷传输通常较差。降低带隙和改善材料性能的努力在液体基工艺中遇到了挑战，如聚合物的难处理性、溶液诱导的变化、限制性合成路线和溶剂不相容。在利用纳米晶二氧化钛的染料敏化装置中，由于聚合物溶液处理的润湿性和液体粘度较差，聚合物电解质渗入介孔二氧化钛的能力较差，从而导致效率低下。新的加工方法克服了这些问题，同时保留了进行材料设计和合成的能力，可能会显著提高太阳能电池的性能。这个CAREER项目旨在为聚合物薄膜加工带来一个新的范例，并建立在科学、教育和人力资源的基础上，以提高对太阳能的认识和采用。该研究计划旨在利用初始化学气相沉积（iCVD）技术来设计、合成和集成聚合物电子材料作为可行的光伏器件。在一个单一的步骤中，iCVD将通过热引发单体蒸汽的聚合，使固体聚合物薄膜的化学合成和物理沉积在衬底上。通过避开液相，可以避免与溶剂有关的问题。更重要的是，iCVD将通过共聚、点击化学和定制单体，为高级材料设计提供极大的自由度。具体的研究目标是：(1)设计聚合物电子材料作为可行的光伏材料；(2)集成聚合物电子材料以创建高效和稳健的光伏器件；(3)建立关键的加工关系和反应机制，以实现太阳能电池性能的优化。更广泛的影响：与研究相结合的是一个教育项目，旨在培养光伏技术研究生和本科水平的未来科学家，并通过能源教育和太阳能测试站吸引费城的高中生和教师，这将为学生提供评估制造太阳能电池的长期性能和稳定性的机会。此外，该项目将让来自地区高中合作伙伴和德雷克塞尔大学暑期导师项目的有前途的高中生沉浸在材料加工的研究经验中，旨在加强对科学和技术的兴趣。将积极招收少数民族、贫困和代表性不足的学生。此外，将建立一个新的薄膜加工课程，重点是光伏和电子制造，以进一步推进本科和研究生的能源课程。最终，这个项目的动机是发现新的环境响应和负责任的解决方案的长期目标。这项工作将为能源独立提供解决方案、知识和资源，并有助于在材料设计和加工方面建立一个持续的科学计划，该计划将从替代能源扩展到生物医学、燃料电池、能源存储和柔性电子等新兴领域。

0846245LauIntellectual merit: With the increasing need for clean, alternative energies, the sun represents a vast sustainable source. Polymer-based solar cells are seen as an answer that would permit more widespread solar harvesting. However, the performance of polymer-based solar cells has been less than optimal. In bulk heterojunction devices, inefficiencies result from the mismatch of high band gaps of conjugated polymers with the solar spectrum, and generally poor charge generation and charge transport due to structural and morphological defects. Efforts at lowering band gap and improving material properties have been met with challenges in liquid-based processing, such as polymer intractability, solution-induced changes, restrictive synthesis routes, and solvent incompatibilities. In dye-sensitized devices that utilize nanocrystalline titania, inefficiencies result from poor infiltration of polymer electrolytes into the mesoporous titania due to poor wettability and liquid viscosity with polymer solution processing. New processing methods which overcome these problems while preserving the ability to carry out materials design and synthesis could lead to significantly enhanced solar cell performance. This CAREER project aims to bring a new paradigm to polymer thin film processing, and build on the scientific, educational and human resources needed to bring greater solar energy awareness and adoption. The research program aims to make use of initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) technologies to design, synthesize and integrate polymer electronic materials as viable photovoltaic devices. In a single step, iCVD will enable the chemical synthesis and physical deposition of a solid polymer thin film on a substrate by thermally initiating the polymerization of a monomer vapor. By circumventing the liquid phase, solvent-related issues will be avoided. More importantly, iCVD will provide significant freedom in performing advanced materials design through copolymerization, click chemistry and tailored monomers. The specific research aims are to (1) engineer polymer electronic materials as viable photovoltaic materials, (2) integrate polymer electronic materials to create efficient and robust photovoltaic devices, and (3) establish critical processing relationships and reaction mechanisms to enable optimization of solar cell performance.Broader impact: Integrated with the research is an educational program which aims to train future scientists at the graduate and undergraduate levels in photovoltaics technology, and engage Philadelphia high school students and teachers through energy education and solar test stations that will provide students with opportunities to evaluate the long term performance and stability of fabricated solar cells. Additionally, the program will immerse promising high school students from area high school partnerships and Drexel's summer mentorship program in a research experience on materials processing that intends to strengthen interest in science and technology. Minority, underprivileged and underrepresented students will be actively recruited. Further, a new thin films processing course with a focus on photovoltaics and electronics fabrication will be established to further the undergraduate and graduate energy curriculum. Ultimately, this project is motivated by the long term goal of discovering novel environmentally responsive and responsible solutions. Efforts from this work will deliver solutions, knowledge and resources for energy independence, and help build a sustaining scientific program in materials design and processing that will extend beyond alternative energies into emerging areas of biomedicine, fuel cells, energy storage and flexible electronics.