Development of new organophosphorus materials for sustainable energy applications

拟议的研究计划的目标是设计新的有机磷为基础的建筑模块和材料的实际应用，降低我们的人为碳足迹。跨学科计划的首要主题是通过量身定制的化学合成来有效和可持续地使用，转换和/或储存能量。为此，该计划涵盖了材料化学的全部范围，包括在原子和分子尺度上操纵物质，其次是建模，测量和成像。在过去十年左右的时间里，我的研究小组已经开发出了一系列非常理想的特性，这些特性证实了含磷建筑模块在各种可持续能源应用中的高实用性，特别是那些涉及有效利用能源的应用。 随着这一基础知识的发展，未来五年拟议计划最具影响力的途径是三个主要目标，重点是实现节能技术，或提供一种以电荷或化学键形式储存能量的方法。拟议的研究计划将专门开发能够使用积木和自组装方法存储多个电荷的新型电池材料。它还将涉及有针对性地开发具有热激活延迟荧光的材料，以应用于具有改进的能量效率的有机发光器件。此外，能量还可以有效地储存在化学键中，特别是储存在可用作常规烃燃料或非常规燃料的物质中。因此，该提案的第三个重点领域是开发用于无金属小分子活化的新型共轭有机磷物种。设想目标化学转化所需的能量输入本质上是光子的。因此，本部分提案的重点将是探索和开发具有光催化氧化还原活性的新物种。 该计划的主要重点是下一代清洁能源解决方案，将使加拿大能够通过新的节能技术和相当多样化的能源组合，在为我们的星球提供可持续发展的未来方面处于领先地位。

The proposed research program targets the design of new organophosphorus-based building blocks and materials for practical applications that lower our anthropogenic carbon footprint. The overarching theme of the interdisciplinary program is the efficient and sustainable use, conversion, and/or storage of energy via tailor-made chemical synthesis. To this end, the program covers the full breadth of materials chemistry encompassing the manipulation of matter at the atomic and molecular scale, next to modeling, measuring, and imaging. Over the past decade or so, my research group has carved out a set of highly desirable properties that confirm the high utility of phosphorus-containing building blocks for a variety of sustainable energy applications, particularly those that involve the efficient use of energy.  Moving forward with this foundational knowledge, the most impactful avenues for the proposed program in the next five years are three main thrusts that focus on enabling energy-saving technologies, or to provide a means of storing energy, either as charges or in chemical bonds. The proposed research program will specifically develop novel battery materials that are capable of storing multiple charges, using a building-block and self-assembly approach. It will further involve the targeted development of materials that exhibit thermally-activated delayed fluorescence for application in organic light-emitting devices with improved energy efficiency. Moreover, energy can also efficiently be stored in chemical bonds, particularly in species that can then act as conventional hydrocarbon fuels or non-conventional fuels. A third focus area of the proposal is thus the development of novel conjugated organophosphorus species for metal-free small-molecule activation. It is envisioned that the required energy input for the targeted chemical conversions is photonic in nature. Focus of this part of the proposal will thus be the exploration and development of photocatalytic redox activities of the new species.     This program with its primary focus on next-generation clean energy solutions will enable Canada to take on a leadership position in providing a sustainable future for our planet via new energy-efficient technologies and a considerably diversified energy portfolio.