Stretchability and deformability are important frontiers in the design of electronic materials due to their myriad possible applications in bioelectronics, consumer electronics and many others. Organic semiconductors in particular show promise in obtaining intrinsically stretchable materials and electronic devices, but they also suffer from the trade-off between electric performance and stretchability. Increased crystallinity is typically associated with improved charge transport, due to the relative ease of charge transport within well-ordered crystalline domains. Unfortunately, it also limits material and device stretchability leading to dramatic decrease in performance upon stretching which results from cracks separating semiconducting domains from one another. In this poster we outline several synthetic approaches we have taken to addressing this issue while also enable new functionalities in our materials. By varying the main and side chain chemistries we have synthesized low-melting polymers that can be melt-processed. We also discuss how these approaches can be leveraged to impart important properties such as one-step photopatternability. Copolymerized conjugated polymers are presented both as vehicles for modulating aggregating while maintaining backbone conjugation and engineering responsiveness to circularly polarized light and beyond. We highlight the rich synthetic and engineering landscape our new building blocks enable and outline important future directions.
Research Interests
I am very interested in the design, synthesis and characterization of new functional materials as well as their use in novel devices. During my PhD I have worked with previously underexplored architectures of organic semiconductors and I want to take this experience into my postdoc and faculty career. I have mostly focused on scalable synthesis of organic molecules but I am excited to develop my expertise with new material platforms, device fabrication and characterization methods.
