Development of Photoactive Materials: Synthesis, Photochemistry and Photophysics

这项研究计划的目标是开发与光相互作用的先进材料，以产生新的和重要的性能和应用。先进材料对新技术和制造工艺至关重要，其开发始于对材料潜在的电学性质的基本了解。该研究计划针对显示器、抗微生物纺织品、生物成像和能量收集方面的不同应用，共同的主题是所有应用都涉及与光的相互作用。为实现这一目标，将进行三个主题的研究。第一个主题涉及光功能和可调有机发色团和荧光团的开发，它们将针对在能源采集、显示和成像方面的应用。这个主题将建立在过去六年的研究计划中的发现之上，旨在发现这些新材料与光相互作用的新范式。在第二个主题中，光活性金属络合物将被开发用于染料敏化太阳能电池。主要目标是使用更便宜和更容易获得的第一排过渡金属用于这些替代太阳能收集应用。最后一个主题是聚硅氧烷和其他聚合物的光化学交联。这种方法可以用于3D打印聚合物，这些交联聚合物的抗微生物和抗病毒性能将被检测。织物和纺织基材上的交联将被用来制造具有潜在应用于服装和医用纺织工业的新型改性材料。先进制造业是加拿大创新和技能计划的六个优先领域之一。新材料的发展是先进制造业的支柱，对创新型国家的经济增长至关重要。这项提案的目标与这项计划密切相关，并使我们能够对该领域产生特殊影响，最终对创造就业机会、创建初创公司和变革性技术产生影响。

The objective of this research program is to develop advanced materials which interact with light to give rise to new and important properties and applications.  Advanced materials are critical for new technologies and manufacturing processes, and their development begins with a fundamental understanding of the underlying electroinic properties of the materials.  The research program is directed towards diverse applications in displays, anti-microbial textiles, biological imaging and energy harvesting, with the common theme that all applications involve interactions with light. Three themes will be pursued towards this objective.  The first theme involves the development of photofunctional and tunable organic chromophores and fluorophores which will target applications in energy harvesting, displays and imaging.  This theme will build on discoveries in the research program over the last six years, and aims to uncover new paradigms in the interaction of these new materials with light.  In the second theme, photoactive metal complexes will be developed for application in dye-sensitized solar cells.  The major aim will be to use cheaper and more readily available first row transition metals for these alternative solar energy harvesting applications.  The final theme focuses on photochemical cross-linking of polysiloxanes and other polymers.  This approach can be used to 3D print polymers, and the anti-microbial and anti-viral properties of these cross-linked polymers will be examined.  Cross-linking on fabric and textile substrates will be used to make new modified materials with potential applications in the clothing and medical textile industries.   Advanced manufacturing is one of six priority area in the Innovation and Skills Plan of Canada. The development of new materials is a pillar of advanced manufacturing and critical to economic growth in an innovative country. The objectives of this proposal are strongly aligned with this plan, and position us to have exceptional impact to the field ultimately impacting on job creation, creation of start-up companies, and transformational technologies.