Understanding the Links among Structure, Processing, and Electronic/Ionic Properties in Soft Mixed Conductors

非技术描述：混合导体，即，具有利用电子和离子导电的能力的材料具有许多潜在的应用。这些材料可能产生影响的最有吸引力的领域之一是生物物质之间的界面，生物物质的生理学通过离子通量进行操作，电子设备通过移动电子进行操作。该研究项目的目标是深入了解这些材料的分子结构及其加工条件如何影响其作为离子信号转换为电子信号的转换器的能力。更好地了解这些材料可以影响社会的许多领域，从能源管理到人类健康。除了这些更广泛的好处，在这个新兴领域教育学生有助于培养训练有素的劳动力，为市场开发材料和设备。与该项目相关的推广工作涉及当地一所拥有大量拉丁裔人口的高中。技术描述：除了有机电子导体，有机混合导体是一种很有前途的材料，在许多领域都有潜在的应用，如电化学电池和生物电子学。与传统的共轭聚合物相比，混合导体具有包含离子导电相的额外复杂性。离子传导相和电子传导相的传输的相互作用是这些材料的操作的核心。该项目旨在建立混合导体的结构-性能关系，并深入了解混合导体的工作原理。具体而言，聚（3，4-亚乙基二氧噻吩）（PEDOT）为基础的共混物的形态是广泛可调的，通过改变伴侣的PEDOT的共混物或通过处理。有机电化学晶体管（OECT）的响应的电特性和建模允许测量载流子迁移率和离子导电相和电子导电相的缠结程度。电荷调制光谱用于研究载流子的极化或双极化性质。结构表征，基于X射线散射和电子显微镜，进行了解形态如何影响混合导体的功能。该项目还计划研究将离子传导功能和电子传导功能整合在单个分子中的新材料。

Nontechnical Description: Mixed conductors, i.e., materials that have the ability to conduct electricity using both electrons and ions, have many potential applications. One of the most appealing areas on which these materials can have an impact is the interface between living matter, whose physiology operates via ion fluxes, and electronics, which operate by moving electrons. The goal of this research project is to provide an in-depth understanding of how the molecular structure of these materials and their processing conditions affect their ability to operate as transducers of ionic signals into electronic signals. Better knowledge of these materials could impact many areas of society, from the management of energy to human health. In addition to these broader benefits, educating students in this emerging area contributes to producing a trained workforce ready to develop materials and devices for the marketplace. Outreach efforts associated with this project involve a local high school with a large Latino population.Technical Description: Beyond organic electronic conductors, organic mixed conductors are a promising category of materials with potential applications in many areas, such as electrochemical cells and bioelectronics. Compared to the conventional conjugated polymers, mixed conductors have the added complexity of containing an ion-conducting phase. The interplay of the transport of the ion conducting and the electron conducting phase is at the heart of the operation of these materials. This project aims to establish the structure-property relationships in mixed conductors and to develop an in-depth understanding of how mixed conductors work. Specifically, the morphology of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)-based blends is widely tunable by changing the partner of PEDOT in the blend or by processing. The electrical characterization and modeling of the response of organic electrochemical transistors (OECT) allow the measurement of carrier mobility and the degree of entanglement of the ion conducting and electron conducting phase. Charge modulation spectroscopy is used to study the polaronic or bipolaronic nature of the carriers. Structural characterization, based on X-ray scattering and electron microscopy, is carried out to understand how morphology affects the functionality of mixed conductors. The project also plans to study new materials that integrate the ionic conduction functionality and the electronic conduction functionality in a single molecule.