CREST-Postdoctoral Research Fellowship: Chemical Doping and Halogen Bonding Studies of Conjugated Polymers for Renewable Energies

Lee Harold O, Portsmouth VA

Investigators

Abstract

The Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology-Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (CREST-PRF) track within the CREST program supports beginning CREST Center investigators with significant potential and provides them with training and research experiences that will broaden perspectives, facilitate interdisciplinary interactions and establish them in positions of leadership within the scientific community. This CREST-PRF project is aligned with the research focus of the CREST Center for Renewable Energy and Advanced Materials (CREST-CREAM) at Norfolk State University (NSU). Compared to traditional inorganic semi-conducting materials, soft organic and polymeric semiconducting materials exhibit inherent advantages such as lower cost and less energy consumption on large scale manufacturing. However, the charge generation and transport mechanisms of soft materials are not quite clear and the conversion efficiencies of soft materials are still relatively low on average compared to typical inorganic semiconductors. The major goal of the proposed research is to enable a greater understanding of the fundamental scientific mechanisms and principles behind charge generations, charge transports, and morphological effects of soft organic and polymeric materials. Such research could lead to less expensive, lightweight, flexible, biocompatible, environmentally friendly, and higher performance alternatives to traditional inorganic semi-conducting materials and devices. These future materials/devices can contribute positively and critically to renewable and clean energy technologies, bio-technologies, health care, and therefore can contribute to a more sustainable human population growth. The specific research objective of this project is to systematically investigate the effects of charge doping on the electronic, optoelectronic, thermoelectric, and morphological properties of conjugated or semiconducting polymers. In addition to traditional chemical/photo/electrode doping, a relatively novel concept of "halogen-bonding" doping will also be systematically investigated and evaluated as an alternative low-cost and convenient method of engineering charge generation, transport and morphological changes in soft organic/polymeric materials. Halogen bonding is a relatively weak bonding mode similar to hydrogen bonding and may be used to facilitate polymer self-assembly for increased solar cell and device performance. State-of-the-art techniques will be used to characterize potential changes in morphology and to test the final devices constructed from these engineered materials. This research is expected to generate new knowledge that will be widely disseminated. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.