Crystalline Hybrid Semiconductors: A systematic Approach to Develop Nanostructured Materials with Enhanced Properties and New Functionality

在半导体纳米模块和有机分子上组装的晶体和纳米结构的无机-有机杂化化合物代表了一类独特的功能材料，其具有基础和技术重要性。 将有机和无机组分结合在单晶晶格中不仅导致相对于其母体半导体的综合和改进的性质（例如宽带隙可调谐性、增强的光吸收/发射功率和降低的热导率），而且还产生了可能无法通过单独的无机或有机组分实现的有趣现象和新功能。该项目由固态和材料化学（SSMC）计划支持，其主要目标是（a）修改II-VI（II：Zn、Cd、Mn; VI：S、Se、Te）基混合纳米结构族，以便进一步优化和改善它们的电子和光学性质，以及（B）将该系列扩展到在其它重要半导体族（包括二元I-VII）上构建的新混合族（一）Cu、Ag;七：F，Cl，Br，I）和III-VI（III：Ga，In）以及三元I-III-VI相。类似的结构设计策略和合成方法建立在以前的成功将适应和应用开发这些化合物。该项目试图解决有关无机-有机界面发生的化学和物理的一些基本问题，以促进采用实验和理论方法的深入研究，以了解晶体结构，组成，化学键和性质之间的相关性，并最终，提供有助于进一步改善材料性能的见解，这些性能对实际应用至关重要。非技术概述一个非常令人兴奋的正在进行的材料研究领域以杂化材料为中心，即由来自明显不同类别的化学物质组成的化合物。无机材料因其骨架完整性和热稳定性、上级电子、磁性、光学和传输性能而闻名，而有机材料因其结构多样性、柔性、可加工性、低成本和轻质而广受认可。该项目将开发和优化由半导体纳米模块和形成周期性有序结构的有机分子组成的晶体无机-有机混合材料的性能。这些功能性纳米结构材料由于将两种组分混合在单一结构中而具有综合和增强的性能而引起了极大的关注。 对这些材料的研究已经显示出它们在光电应用中的巨大潜力，包括光电子学（太阳能电池），固态照明（LED）和传感。 这个高度跨学科，协作和综合的项目将作为学生培训的一个极好的平台，并将为大量参与者提供独特的机会，包括本科生和研究生，博士后研究助理，访问科学家，特别是妇女和来自代表性不足的群体的个人，致力于研究科学上重要和社会相关的化学问题。该项目的一个重要组成部分涉及罗格斯大学内外的众多教育，培训和推广活动，包括新课程和课程模块开发，国际交流计划以及与区域学院和学校的合作伙伴关系。该项目旨在继续并进一步与当地行业就共同感兴趣的领域进行合作。

TECHNICAL SUMMARYCrystalline and nanostructured inorganic-organic hybrid compounds assembled on semiconductor nano-modules and organic molecules represent a unique class of functional materials that are of both fundamental and technological importance. The incorporation of organic and inorganic components in a single crystal lattice not only leads to integrated and improved properties over their parent semiconductors (e.g. broad band gap tunability, enhanced optical absorption/emission power, and reduced thermal conductivity), but also gives rise to intriguing phenomena and new functionality that may not be achievable by either inorganic or organic constituents alone. The primary objective of this project supported by the Solid State and Materials Chemistry (SSMC) program is to (a) modify the II-VI (II: Zn, Cd, Mn; VI: S, Se, Te) based hybrid-nanostructured family in order to further optimize and improve their electronic and optical properties, and (b) expand the series to new hybrid families constructed on other important semiconductor groups, including binary I-VII (I: Cu, Ag; VII: F, Cl, Br, I) and III-VI (III: Ga, In), and ternary I-III-VI phases. Similar structure designing strategies and synthesis methods built on the previous success will be adapted and applied to develop these compounds. The project attempts to address some fundamental questions concerning the chemistry and physics occurring at the inorganic-organic interfaces, to facilitate an in-depth study employing both experimental and theoretical methods in order to understand the correlations between the crystal structure, composition, chemical bonding, and properties, and ultimately, to offer insight that will contribute to further improvement of material properties crucial for practical applications.NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARYA very exciting field of on-going materials research centers on hybrid materials, namely compounds that are made of chemical species from distinctly different categories. Inorganic materials are best known for their framework integrity and thermal stability, superior electronic, magnetic, optical and transport properties, while organic materials are well recognized for their structural diversity, flexibility, processability, low cost, and light weight. This project will develop and optimize properties of crystalline inorganic-organic hybrid materials composed of semiconductor nanomodules and organic molecules that form periodically ordered structures. These functional nanostructured materials have attracted enormous attention due to their integrated and enhanced properties as a result of blending the two components in a single structure. Research on these materials has shown great promise for their utility in optoelectronic applications, including photovoltaics (solar cells), solid state lighting (LEDs) and sensing. This highly interdisciplinary, collaborative and integrated project will serve as an excellent platform for student training, and will offer unique opportunities for a large number of participants, including undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral research associates, visiting scientists, and especially women and individuals from underrepresented groups, to work on chemical problems that are both scientifically important and societally relevant. An important component of the project involves numerous educational, training, and outreach activities within and beyond Rutgers University, including new course and course module development, international exchange programs, and partnership with regional colleges and schools. The project seeks to continue and further collaborations with the local industries on areas of common interest.