CAREER: Molecular-level Understanding of Conductive Polymer Properties

非技术总结：了解电力和带电物质（离子）如何流经聚合物材料，对于支持改进水处理技术、化学传感器和电池的材料开发是必要的。某些带电聚合物在这一领域很有趣，因为它们既导电又经历电化学反应以结合溶液中的离子。从理论上讲，随着理解和改进，这类带电聚合物可以像金属一样导电，并存储与锂离子电池中使用的材料一样多的电荷。但目前，这些材料还没有达到这些理论极限。到目前为止，科学家们还没有完全理解限制这些聚合物实现其理论潜力的基本因素。在这个项目中，密苏里州大学的研究人员将致力于了解这些带电聚合物中电子和离子导电性的分子起源。为了实现这一目标，密苏里州大学的研究人员将使用一种新的方法来制造这些聚合物，这种方法允许在聚合物链内快速生成精确控制的分子构建块（单体）序列。 他们将测量不同的单体序列如何导致单体之间的相互作用效应，并驱动电子和离子流动的变化。这项研究将填补理解带电聚合物中电子和离子导电性的分子尺度起源的关键空白，并有望帮助研究人员开发用于水处理，化学传感器和电池技术等一系列应用的改进材料。这些研究活动将与实践互动学习模块的开发相辅相成，使围绕电子和离子通过聚合物流动的概念切实可行，并吸引小学生。技术概要：本项目将建立结构-性能的理解连接本地和短程（5 nm）结构的共轭杂原子含共聚物与其电子和离子导电性。研究人员将采用气相氧化分子层沉积（oMLD）合成来控制含有吡咯，噻吩，呋喃，苯胺和相关单体的两种或更多种单体的共聚物内的单体序列，再加上原位表征，以监测合成和化学后处理过程中的电性能。非原位同步辐射和电子显微镜测量将提供进一步的见解观察到的电子和离子传输特性的分子结构起源。该项目的总体目标是：（1）理解电子沿沿着共聚物链传输机制，（2）理解阴离子通过不同聚合物配位位点传输的机制，以及（3）该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查进行评估，被认为值得支持的搜索.

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:Understanding how electricity and charged species (ions) flow through polymer materials is necessary to support the development of materials for improved water treatment technologies, chemical sensors, and batteries. Certain charged polymers are interesting in this area because they both conduct electricity and undergo electro-chemical reactions to bind ions from solutions. Theoretically, with improved understanding and refinements, charged polymers in this class could conduct electricity as well as metals, and store as much charge as materials used in lithium-ion batteries. But currently, these materials fall short of these theoretical limits. To date, scientists do not fully understand the fundamental factors limiting these polymers from achieving their theoretical potential. In this project, researchers at the University of Missouri will work to understand the molecular origins of electronic and ionic conductivity in these charged polymers. To accomplish this, University of Missouri researchers will use a new way of making these polymers that allows for the rapid generation of precisely controlled sequences of molecular building blocks (monomers) within the polymer chains. They will measure how different monomer sequences lead to interaction effects between monomers and drive changes in the flow of electrons and ions. This research will fill a critical gap in understanding the molecular-scale origins of electronic and ionic conductivity in charged polymers and is expected to help researchers develop improved materials for a range of applications including water treatment, chemical sensors, and battery technologies. These research activities will be complemented with the development of hands-on interactive learning modules to make the concepts surrounding the flow of electrons and ions through polymers tangible and engaging for elementary school students.TECHNICAL SUMMARY:This project will establish structure-property understanding connecting local and short-range (5 nm) structure of conjugated hetero-atom-containing copolymers with their electronic and ionic conductivity. Researchers will employ gas-phase oxidative molecular layer deposition (oMLD) synthesis to control the monomer sequence within copolymers containing two or more monomers of pyrrole, thiophene, furan, aniline, and related monomers, coupled with in situ characterization to monitor electrical properties during synthesis and chemical post-processing. Ex situ synchrotron and electron microscopy measurements will provide further insights into molecular structure origins of observed electronic and ionic transport properties. This project's overall goals are to: (1) understand mechanisms of electronic transport along copolymer chains, (2) understand mechanisms of anion transport through varying polymer coordination sites, and (3) engage the public and inspire young scientists with polymer research.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.