CAREER: Rational Design of Perfluoroalkylated N- and S-Containing Heteroaromatics for Engineering High Performance Air-stable OFET Materials with Lamellar pi-pi Stacked Structure

University Of South Dakota Main Campus, Vermillion SD

Investigators

Abstract

With the support from the Chemical Structure, Dynamics & Mechanisms B program in the Chemistry Division and the Solid State and Materials Chemistry program in the Division of Materials Research, Professor Haoran Sun at the University of South Dakota will lead this CAREER project aiming to 1) design, synthesize, and characterize perfluoroalkylated N- and S-containing heteroaromatic supramolecular synthons to prepare organic semiconductor materials with lamellar pi-pi stacked structure; 2) advance fundamental understanding of the correlation between molecular structure, weak intermolecular non-covalent interactions, solid-state structures, and device function; and 3) train students to solve complex problems in materials sciences. Professor Sun's research focuses on the synthesis and assembly of these perfluoroalkylated supramolecular synthons for low cost and high performance organic semiconductor devices for next generation electronics. The research team expects to identify these supramolecular synthons through both synthetic and computational approaches. During the project period, students at different levels will also be trained to learn skills for solving problems in materials sciences. This project addresses one of the fundamental questions in developing next generation high performance organic semiconductor materials: how to design supramolecular synthons that can assemble into desired functional materials. A fundamental understanding of weak non-covalent intermolecular interactions is expected to have substantial impact on new organic functional materials design and to assist new drug designs. The multidisciplinary nature of this project will provide excellent training to students for solving complex problems important to today's materials chemistry. In addition to these exciting research activities, Professor Sun will continue to integrate cutting-edge research projects into undergraduate teaching for advanced chemistry major courses. The research group will work with local schools to organize educational outreach activities including "Coyote Science Education for Kids" and "Renewable Energy Workshop" for general public in local areas. The successful integration of research and education will provide the necessary workforce development and prepare students at all levels to develop skills for solving societal problems related to materials sciences.