Author ORCID Identifier
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0487-1092 : Simon Rondeau-Gagne
Standing
Undergraduate
Type of Proposal
Oral Research Presentation
Faculty
Faculty of Science
Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Simon Rondeau-Gagne
Proposal
Semiconducting polymers are an important class of materials at the forefront of organic electronics research due to their mechanical and optoelectronic properties. Their solution processability allows for cost-effective development of lightweight, flexible, and large area electronic devices such as organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and organic photovoltaics (OPVs). This proves to be advantageous in comparison to the expensive, high temperature processing methods required for traditional silicon-based electronics. However, these semiconducting polymers often have low solubility which creates limitations in their processing such as the need for toxic halogenated solvents. The limited solubility of these materials can also lead to interfacial mixing, which is a major challenge to overcome for the fabrication of higher-order, multilayer electronics to reach commercial applications.
This work explores the incorporation of carbohydrate side chains in conjugated polymers to afford tunable solubility in greener, alcohol-based solvents. In addition to improving the solubility in ecofriendly and non-hazardous solvent, carbohydrate moieties help materials to be more resistant and stable during processing in various organic solvents resistance. This solvent resistance was confirmed both visually upon submersion in various solvents and using UV-visible spectroscopy. The side-chain engineering approach had no negative impacts on the electronic performance of these materials in OFETs even after submersion in solvents, which confirms the stability of these materials. This presentation encompasses the motivations behind this new approach and demonstrates how carbohydrate side chains can manipulate solubility of electronic materials, leading to both improved processability in eco-friendly solvents and solvent resistance for the creation of complex multilayer devices.
Availability
I am available for March 30th 12-3pm, March 31st 12-3pm, and April 1st 12-3pm.
Special Considerations
Number of presenters: 1.
Name of Presenter: Ekaterini Iakovidis
Designing New Solvent Resistant Materials for Greener Electronics
Semiconducting polymers are an important class of materials at the forefront of organic electronics research due to their mechanical and optoelectronic properties. Their solution processability allows for cost-effective development of lightweight, flexible, and large area electronic devices such as organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and organic photovoltaics (OPVs). This proves to be advantageous in comparison to the expensive, high temperature processing methods required for traditional silicon-based electronics. However, these semiconducting polymers often have low solubility which creates limitations in their processing such as the need for toxic halogenated solvents. The limited solubility of these materials can also lead to interfacial mixing, which is a major challenge to overcome for the fabrication of higher-order, multilayer electronics to reach commercial applications.
This work explores the incorporation of carbohydrate side chains in conjugated polymers to afford tunable solubility in greener, alcohol-based solvents. In addition to improving the solubility in ecofriendly and non-hazardous solvent, carbohydrate moieties help materials to be more resistant and stable during processing in various organic solvents resistance. This solvent resistance was confirmed both visually upon submersion in various solvents and using UV-visible spectroscopy. The side-chain engineering approach had no negative impacts on the electronic performance of these materials in OFETs even after submersion in solvents, which confirms the stability of these materials. This presentation encompasses the motivations behind this new approach and demonstrates how carbohydrate side chains can manipulate solubility of electronic materials, leading to both improved processability in eco-friendly solvents and solvent resistance for the creation of complex multilayer devices.