Tuning the Photovoltaic Performance of Benzodithiophene and Benzodifuran Polymeric Semiconductors by Molecular Design

非技术综述：开发开发太阳能等可再生能源潜力的新技术是目前最有针对性的研究方向之一。由PI在德克萨斯大学达拉斯分校(UTD)的研究小组开发的聚合物太阳能电池正在探索作为低成本、轻量化、大面积和柔性太阳能电池板的可行替代方案。这项研究的目标是合成和表征新型有机半导体聚合物材料，使其在有机太阳能电池中具有良好的性能。它的总体目标是建立新型半导体聚合物的结构和光电性能之间的关联。该奖项将支持研究生和本科生在化学、材料科学和半导体技术之间的跨学科培训。其他更广泛的教育和促进多样性的影响包括指导高中生在一年内完成一个科学和工程项目。PI还参加了UTD的一个非常成功的项目，该项目为高中生提供了参与暑期研究的机会。技术摘要：该项目将使PI能够扩展和巩固她通过NSF职业生涯奖开始的聚合物化学、材料科学和半导体技术之间的跨学科研究和教育项目。拟议研究的总体目标是建立苯并二硫杂环和苯并二呋喃供体-受体半导体聚合物的结构/光电性质关联。苯并二硫杂环和苯并二呋喃将被用来合成具有可调光电性能的给体-受体聚合物。计划中的研究计划旨在合成单体及其相应的聚合物，然后进行它们的结构、形态和光电表征，并在块状异质结太阳能电池中测试这些材料。太阳能电池测试获得的实验数据将用于微调施主-受主半导体聚合物的结构。该研究项目将采用广泛的综合方法，学生将获得有机/聚合物合成、表征以及太阳能电池制造和测试方面的专业知识。PI将利用先前在聚合物科学和有机电子学方面的经验，但也将扩展体异质结太阳能电池有源层的形态表征技能。PI的研究计划将与教育部分紧密结合，通过培训研究生和本科生，他们将发展有机/聚合物化学、薄膜表征以及太阳能电池制造和测试方面的专业知识。它还将与针对高中生的外展和多样性增强计划相结合。

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:The development of new technologies that exploit the potential of renewable energy sources such as solar power is currently one of the most targeted research directions. Polymer solar cells developed in the PI's research group at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) are being explored as feasible alternatives for low cost, lightweight, large area, and flexible solar panels. The proposed research will aim toward the synthesis and characterization of novel organic semiconducting polymeric materials with good performance in organic solar cells. Its overall objective is to establish a correlation between structure and opto-electronic properties for new types of semiconducting polymers. This award will support the interdisciplinary training of graduate and undergraduate students at the interface between chemistry, materials science, and semiconductor technologies. Other broader educational and diversity-enhancing impacts include mentoring of high school students over a one-year period to complete a science and engineering project. The PI is also participating in a highly successful program at UTD which gives high-school students the opportunity to participate in summer research.TECHNICAL SUMMARY:This project will allow the PI to extend and consolidate the interdisciplinary research and education program at the interface between polymer chemistry, materials science, and semiconductor technologies which she started through an NSF CAREER award. The overall objective of the proposed research is to establish a structure / opto-electronic properties correlation for benzodithiophene and benzodifuran donor-acceptor semiconducting polymers. Benzodithiophene and benzodifuran will be employed as building blocks for the synthesis of donor-acceptor polymers with tunable opto-electronic properties. The planned research program targets the synthesis of the monomers and their corresponding polymers, followed by their 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 donor-acceptor semiconducting polymers. The research program will have a broadly integrated approach, where students will gain expertise in organic/polymer synthesis, characterization, and solar cell fabrication and testing. The PI will capitalize on prior experience in polymer science and organic electronics, but also expand skills in morphological characterization of the active layer of bulk heterojunction solar cells. The PI's research program will be tightly integrated with an education component by training graduate and undergraduate students who will develop expertise in organic/polymer chemistry, thin-film characterization, and solar-cell fabrication and testing. It will also be coupled with an outreach and diversity-enhancement program toward high-school students.