Novel Hybrid Oligomers for Electronic Devices

Project Description: The Watkins Group strives to increase mechanistic understanding and establish design guidelines for organic electronic materials by synthesizing and characterizing novel building blocks for semiconducting materials. Conjugated organic materials are of great interest because of their applications in optoelectronic devices, such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), and organic photovoltaics (OPV). Compared with inorganic semiconductor materials, organic materials offer a less expensive alternative which is also safer for the environment. Thiophene containing molecules are the most commonly used organic materials because of their superior electronic properties. However, oligothiophenes tend to suffer from low solubility and inefficient luminescence. Recently, studies have emerged focusing on their close analogues, oligofurans. However, furans possess high-lying HOMOs making them more susceptible to decomposition. This relative instability can be overcome by the incorporation of thiophenes to form fused and alternating hybrid systems; thus, reducing the decomposition of the furan. In turn, the objective of their research is to examine the structure-property relationship within furan containing hybrid π-systems designed for organic electronic devices. The Watkins Group collaborates closely with the Hammer Group to characterize the photophysical properties of the molecules by a combination of spectroscopic techniques, including UV-vis, Raman, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Along with computational methods, the collaboration is advantageous towards guiding the modularity of their design and synthesis. Completing the synthetic sequence to scale and working with the Hammer group to characterize its photophysical properties offers an excellent educational experience for the undergraduate researcher.

Desired Student Qualifications: Requirements (1) minimum of 3.0 grade point average (GPA) (2) currently enrolled or have taken Organic Chemistry II (Chem 221); individuals enrolled in Chem 351 or 528 will be given preference (3) flexible working schedule

Project Timeline: 12-24 months

Duties of Student Researcher: Students will gain expertise in synthetic organic chemistry, thermal analysis, and spectroscopy. Students will also participate in research discussions based on literature related to his or her work and attend conferences for networking.

Last Updated on 2014-08-07 08:43:33

Supramolecular Approaches to Organic Devices

Project Description: Organic semiconducting devices have received enormous attention as low cost and flexible alternatives to silicon based technologies. Devices such as organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) and organic field effect transistors (OFETs) are comprised of a π-conjugated organic material which displays electrical conductivity. The efficiency of the electronic device depends heavily on the ability of charge carriers (electrons and/or holes) to move within the conjugated material without being trapped or scattered. Therefore, it is imperative that the supramolecular architecture of the organic molecules in the solid state promote efficient charge transport. Researchers have shown that non-covalent interactions can act as powerful means for programming nanoscale architectures. Interactions such as π-stacking and hydrogen bonding between organic conjugated molecules induce well defined solid state packing and increase device performance and stability. The use of halogen bonding interactions, analogues to hydrogen bonds, to achieve favorable blend morphology and charge transport in organic electronic applications has only been scarcely investigated. Halogen bonding (XB), the noncovalent interaction between Lewis acidic halogen atoms and electron-pair-donating heteroatoms, has been recognized as a significant force in improving the packing of many halogen-containing organic compounds. The objective of this research is to utilize halogen bonding interactions to form furan and thiophene derivatives that self-assemble yielding unique nanoscale morphologies for organic semiconducting devices. The materials are designed to combine the intrinsic solid state packing capabilities of oligofurans and oligothiophenes, two oligomers which are commonly used in high-efficiency organic devices, with noncovalent bonding to create layered materials with predictable three-dimensional structures. The Watkins Group collaborates closely with the Hammer Group to characterize the assembly of the molecules by a combination of spectroscopic techniques, including NMR, UV-vis, Raman, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Along with computational methods (the Tschumper Group), crystal and thermal analysis (the Dass Group), the collaboration is advantageous towards guiding the modularity of the design and synthesis. Completing the synthetic sequence to scale and investigating the assembly both in solution and solid state should be an excellent educational experience for the undergraduate researcher.

Desired Student Qualifications: Requirements (1) minimum of 3.0 grade point average (GPA) (2) currently enrolled or have taken Organic Chemistry II (Chem 221); individuals enrolled in Chem 351 or 528 will be given preference (3) flexible working schedule

Project Timeline: 12 months

Duties of Student Researcher: Students will gain expertise in synthetic organic chemistry, thermal analysis, and spectroscopy. Students will also participate in research discussions based on literature related to his or her work and attend conferences for networking.

Last Updated on 2014-08-07 08:35:43