Organic Infrared Materials: Rational Design, Synthetic Strategies, Unique Properties and Emerging Applications

有机红外材料是一类新兴的光子材料，能够在红外（IR）光谱区域收集，发射或转换光，通常覆盖近红外（NIR, 780-3000 nm），中红外（MIR， 3-50微米）和远红外（FIR， 50-1000微米）部分。不可见的红外光占到达地球的太阳总能量的一半以上，影响着我们的日常生活。然而，有机红外材料的缺乏阻碍了许多潜在变革性应用的实现，例如用于电信的光衰减器（1300-1600 nm），用于安全显示或生物成像的敏感信号（800-1100 nm），用于节能的吸热器（1000-1600 nm）和宽带光电探测器（300-1600 nm）。*******我们的长期研究目标是解决两个科学问题：(1)如何实现和利用红外波长选择性或全色（UV-Vis-IR）吸收、发射和显色特性？(2)如何提高有机红外光电子器件的品质系数？因此，提出了下列具有具体目标的项目。*******(i)开发具有红外波长选择性和全色（UV-Vis-IR）光电特性的有机材料。目标是开发新的电子受体，n型聚合物半导体，带隙能量小于1.24 eV （>1000 nm）的供体-受体聚合物，以及具有非常低能量混合价态（例如，0.05-0.8 eV）的定义良好的金属二硫烯低聚物/聚合物。*******(ii)独特红外显色性质的研究。目的是将有机红外材料在外部光、电化学、热和化学刺激下的光学和发光特性与其分子和大分子结构联系起来。******（三）新兴的应用。目的是利用有机红外材料的独特性质为新兴的应用。在特定红外波长（例如，1000~1600 nm或8-12微米）具有强吸收的聚合物将被探索作为无色红外辐射吸收剂。新型的n /p型半导体聚合物和新型的光致电荷输运中间层材料将被用于开发聚合物全色光电探测器，其器件性能可媲美或优于Si和InGaAs光电探测器。******拟议的研究包括一个多样化和密集的高素质人才培训计划。培训计划是根据我们的“量身定制的个人培训”理念设计和执行的，为学生提供最适合每个人的兴趣、背景和潜力的量身定制的项目。学生们也被鼓励在当地社区和高中参与现代科学和工程的推广

Organic Infrared Materials are an emerging class of Photonic Materials that are able to harvest, emit or convert light in the infrared (IR) spectral region, typically covering the near-infrared (NIR, 780-3000 nm), mid-infrared (MIR, 3-50 microns) and far-infrared (FIR, 50-1000 microns) parts. Invisible IR light represents more than half of the total energy from the Sun to arrive on Earth and affects our everyday life. However, lack of organic IR materials hampers realization of many potentially transformative applications, such as optical attenuators for telecommunications (1300-1600 nm), sensitive signaling for security display or bio-imaging (800-1100 nm), heat absorbers (1000-1600 nm) for energy saving, and broadband photodetectors (300-1600 nm).*******The long-term objectives of our research are to address the two scientific issues: (1) How to realize and utilize infrared wavelength-selective or panchromic (UV-Vis-IR) absorption, emission and chromogenic property? (2) How to improve the figure-of-the-merit of organic infrared optoelectronics? Accordingly, the following projects with specific objectives are proposed.*******(i) Development of organic materials with infrared wavelength-selective and panchromatic (UV-Vis-IR) optoelectronic properties. The objectives are to develop new electron acceptors, n-type polymer semiconductors, donor-acceptor polymers with the bandgap energy less than 1.24 eV (>1000 nm) and well-defined metallodithiolene oligomers/polymers with very low-energy mixed-valence states (e.g., 0.05-0.8 eV).*******(ii) Study of unique IR chromogenic properties. The objective is to correlate the optical and luminescent properties of organic IR materials, under external photo, electrochemical, thermal and chemical stimuli, with their molecular and macromolecular structures.******(iii) Emerging applications. The objectives are to utilize the unique properties of organic IR materials for emerging applications. The polymers with strong absorption at specific IR wavelengths (e.g., 1000~1600 nm or 8-12 microns) will be explored as colorless IR-radiation absorbers. The new n-/p-type semiconducting polymers and novel photo-induced charge-transporting interlayer materials will be used to develop polymer panchromatic photodetectors with the device performance comparable to or better than both Si and InGaAs photodetectors.******The proposed research includes a diverse and intensive training program for high quality personnel. The training program is designed and executed according to our “tailored-fit personal training” philosophy and offers students the tailored projects that best fit each person's interest, background and potential. The students are also encouraged to get involved in promotion of modern science and engineering in local community and high schools.***