Optoelectronic Nanostructures via Polythiophene Block Copolymer Self-Assembly

共轭有机分子和聚合物具有无机半导体和金属的电学性质，同时具有成本低、重量轻、更易于器件制造的特点。此外，这些性质可以很容易地通过操纵分子或大分子结构来控制，这提供了许多类似的无机材料的明显优势。因此，有机复制品现在已经被应用于电线、发光二极管、传感器、场效应晶体管、光伏设备和激光。然而，许多这样的设备的优化依赖于平衡电荷载流子传输或操纵激子的扩散，这两者都需要控制超分子结构。不幸的是，将共轭有机单元构图成预定大小和形状的纳米级物体仍然是一个根本的挑战。为了广泛实现无机微电子元件的纳米级有机复制品，需要更复杂的结构，如结点或隔间结构和复合材料，这进一步放大了这个问题。在这个合作提案中，我们的目标是概念验证研究，这些研究将允许开发一个新的平台，基于具有结晶的、PI共轭的聚噻吩链段的嵌段共聚物来创建功能性一维半导体纳米结构。这提供了溶液相自组装的简单性，但提供了对结构尺寸的潜在控制。此外，这种新方法还提供了访问分隔结构和混合结构的令人兴奋的可能性，这些结构应该是各种纳米设备中的关键部件。

Conjugated organic molecules and polymers possess the electronic properties of inorganic semiconductors and metals, while being of lower cost, lighter weight and more amenable to device manufacture. Furthermore, these properties can be readily controlled by manipulation of the molecular or macromolecular structure, which offers a distinct advantage over many comparable inorganic materials. As a result, organic replicas have now found applications as wires, light-emitting diodes, sensors, field-effect transistors, photovoltaic devices and lasers.The optimisation of many such devices, however, relies on either balancing charge carrier transport or manipulating the diffusion of excitons, both of which require control over the supramolecular structure. Unfortunately, the patterning of conjugated organic units into nanoscale objects of predetermined size and shape remains a fundamental challenge. This problem is further amplified by the need for more complex architectures, such as junctions or compartmentalised structures and composites, for the extensive realisation of nanoscale organic replicas of inorganic microelectronic components.In this collaborative proposal we target proof of concept studies that will permit the development of a new platform for the creation of functional 1-D semiconducting nanostructures based on block copolymers with crystalline, pi-conjugated polythiophene segments. This offers the simplicity of solution phase self-assembly but affords potential control over the dimensions of the structure. Furthermore, this new method also offers exciting possibilities for accessing both compartmentalised and hybrid structures, which should function as key components in a variety of nanoscale devices.