CAREER: Rational Design of Semiconducting Polymers with Tunable Opto-Electronic Properties: An Interdisciplinary Program for Research and Education

技术摘要：这项职业资助将允许PI在有机/聚合物化学，材料科学和半导体技术之间的接口启动跨学科的研究和教育计划。 拟议研究的总体目标是建立一个合成设计协议，以生成具有可调结构和电子特性的半导体聚合物。 具有苯乙炔基取代基的苯并二噻吩和噻吩并二吡咯将被用作合成具有可调能级的新型半导体聚合物的结构单元。 具有苯乙炔基吸电子取代基的苯并二噻吩单体使聚合物具有较低的LUMO能级。 相比之下，具有增加的供体能力的噻吩并二吡咯单体将产生具有更高LUMO能级的半导体聚合物。 中间能级可以通过单体的共聚获得。 拟议的5年研究计划的目标是合成拟议的单体及其相应的聚合物，结构，形态和光电特性，以及在体异质结太阳能电池中的材料测试。 从太阳能电池测试中获得的实验数据将用于微调单体和半导体聚合物的结构。 该研究计划将采用应用驱动的方法，学生将获得有机/聚合物合成，表征和半导体技术方面的专业知识。PI将利用之前在聚合物科学和有机电子方面的经验，同时还将扩展太阳能电池制造和测试方面的技能。私家侦探？的研究计划将自然扩展到其教育组成部分，通过培训研究生和本科生谁将发展合成化学和太阳能电池制造和测试的技能。即将到来的全球能源危机要求开发新技术，利用可再生能源的潜力，如太阳能。 例如，基于无机半导体的光伏技术已经达到将30%的太阳能转化为电能的性能。 尽管有这种良好的性能，基于现有晶体硅技术的无机光致发光材料仍然过于昂贵，无法与传统的电力来源竞争。 虽然广泛的研究领域的硅基，无机光电子学预计将导致在其制造成本的下降，有机光电子学开发的PI？太阳能电池组是低成本、重量轻、大面积和柔性太阳能电池板的可行替代品。 拟议的研究将致力于生产在有机太阳能电池中具有高性能的新型有机半导体聚合物。 这个职业奖将支持研究生和本科生在化学和材料科学之间的接口跨学科培训。 PI将与德克萨斯大学达拉斯分校的化学学生协会密切合作，设计使用聚合物的车间实验。 这些讲习班将在DFW地区的科学博览会上展出。 PI还参加了UTD非常成功的Nanoexplorers计划，该计划使高中生有机会参加夏季研究。

TECHNICAL SUMMARY:This CAREER grant will allow the PI to launch an interdisciplinary research and education program at the interface between organic/polymer chemistry, materials science and semiconductor technologies. The overall objective of the proposed research is to establish a synthetic design protocol to generate semiconducting polymers with tunable structures and electronic properties. Benzodithiophene with phenylethynyl substituents and thienodipyrrole will be employed as building blocks for the synthesis of novel semiconducting polymers with tunable energy levels. Benzodithiophene monomers with phenylethynyl electron withdrawing substituents render the polymers a lower LUMO energy level. By contrast, thienodipyrrole monomers with increased donor ability will generate semiconducting polymers with a higher LUMO energy level. Intermediate energy levels can be obtained by copolymerization of monomers. The proposed 5-years research program targets the synthesis of the proposed monomers and their corresponding polymers, structural, morphological and opto-electronic characterization, and the testing of the materials in bulk heterojunction solar cells. The experimental data obtained from solar cell testing will be used to fine tune the structures of the monomers and semiconducting polymers. The research program will have an application driven approach, where students will gain expertise in organic/polymer synthesis, characterization, and semiconductor technologies. The PI will capitalize on prior experience in polymer science and organic electronics, but also expand skills in fabrication and testing of solar cells. The PI?s research program will naturally expand into its education component by training graduate and undergraduate students who will develop skills in synthetic chemistry and solar cell fabrication and testing. NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARYThe pending global energy crisis requires the development of new technologies that exploit the potential of renewable energy sources, such as solar power. For example, inorganic semiconductor based photovoltaic technology has reached the performance of converting 30% of solar energy into electric power. Despite this good performance, inorganic photovoltaics based on existing crystalline silicon technology are still too expensive to compete with the conventional sources of electricity. While extensive research in the field of silicon-based, inorganic photovoltaics is expected to result in a decrease in their fabrication cost, organic photovoltaics developed by the PI?s group are viable alternatives for low cost, lightweight, large area and flexible solar panels. The proposed research will aim toward the production of novel organic semiconducting polymers with high performance in organic solar cells. This CAREER award will support the interdisciplinary training of graduate and undergraduate students at the interface between chemistry and materials science. The PI will work closely with the Chemistry Students Association at the University of Texas at Dallas to design workshop experiments using polymers. These workshops will be presented in science fairs in the DFW area. The PI is also participating in the highly successful Nanoexplorers Program at UTD which gives high-school students the opportunity to participate in summer research.