Shape Persistent, Dynamic, and Liquid Crystalline Materials for Sensor and Electronic Devices

摘要有机电子材料具有广泛的应用前景，将成为美国创新经济的重要组成部分。实现这些材料的全部潜力需要新的研究，例如将在本提案中开发新的功能材料和组织原理。在美国国家科学基金会的资助下，液晶科学和有机电子材料的新方法将得到发展。这项工作产生的技术有可能在化学传感器和高性能有机电子学的形成中找到商业应用。该提案还将支持研究生和本科生的教育，该教育模式将为学生提供广泛的、自力更生的技术背景，以及领导、管理和创业方面的教育。首席研究员致力于增加科学和工程领域的多样性，并继续组织“未来教师研讨会”，为代表性不足的群体竞争学术生涯做好准备。这个研讨会已经举办了7年，非常成功。首席研究员还深入参与了麻省理工学院的多样性努力，并领导了创建奖学金的努力，组织了一年一度的研讨会，以激励/促进代表性不足的群体参加研究生院，并接待代表性不足的本科生进行暑期研究体验。技术摘要：本研究在材料研究部固态与材料化学项目的支持下，旨在探索液晶科学概念在电活性材料中的应用。提出了新的分子支架和相互作用来创建受体分子和小分子之间的相互作用，用于创建化学传感器。新设计包括使用C-H…π相互作用产生苯和甲烷的受体。提出了基于噻吩的电活性变形分子在有机半导体和传感领域的应用前景。它们与小分子、金属离子和碳纳米管的相互作用将被探索。噻吩的动力学行为也被认为是降低刚性类板分子熔点的一种机制。这种方法的目的是创造新一代的有机半导体，显示液晶秩序和熔体可加工性。对有毒金属和植物激素乙烯的感应装置将被制造出来。新一代的化学电阻传感器将利用具有长烷基侧链的刚性分子在石墨烯和碳纳米管表面的自组装。提出了一种结合扫描隧道显微镜（STM）成像的化学动力学和石墨自组装单层结构的分析方法。

Non-Technical AbstractOrganic electronic materials have many applications and will be an increasing element of the innovation economy of the United States. Realizing the full potential of these materials requires new research, such as will be undertaken in this proposal to develop novel functional materials and organizational principles. Under this NSF funding new methods at the interface of liquid crystal science and organic electronic materials will be developed. Technologies to come from this work have the potential to find commercial applications in the formation of chemical sensors and high performance organic electronics. This proposal will also support the education of graduate students and undergraduates following an educational model that provides students with a broad, self-reliant technical background as well as education in leadership, management, and entrepreneurship. The lead researcher has a deep commitment to increasing diversity in science and engineering and continues to organize the Future Faculty Workshop, which prepares underrepresented groups to compete for academic careers. This workshop is in its 7th year and is highly successful. The lead researcher is also deeply involved in MIT's diversity efforts and led efforts for the creation of fellowships, organizes an annual workshop to inspire/facilitate underrepresented groups to attend graduate school, and hosts underrepresented undergraduate students for summer research experiences.Technical AbstractWith support from the Solid State and Materials Chemistry Program in the Division of Materials Research, this research is directed at the exploration of concepts of liquid crystal science applied to electroactive materials. New molecular scaffolds and interactions are proposed to create interactions between receptor molecules and small molecules for the creation of chemical sensors. New designs include the use of C-H...pi interactions to create receptors for benzene and methane. Electroactive shape changing molecules based upon thianthrene are proposed as prospects for organic semiconductors as well as sensory applications. Their interactions with small molecules, metal ions, and carbon nanotubes will be explored. The dynamic behavior of thianthrenes is also proposed as a mechanism to reduce the melting point of rigid board-like molecules. This approach is directed at creating new generations of organic semiconductors that display liquid crystalline order and melt processability. Sensory devices will be produced for toxic metals and the plant hormone ethylene. New generations of chemiresisitve sensors will make use of the self-assembly of rigid molecules having long alkyl sidechains on graphene and carbon nanotube surfaces. A combined analysis of the chemical dynamics and structures formed by scanning tunneling microscope (STM) imaging of self-assembled monolayers on graphite is proposed.