Synthesis of CONJUGAted Two-DimensIonal Supramolecular POlymers for ElectroNics

Project Information

CONJUGATION

Grant agreement ID: 706082

DOI

10.3030/706082

Project closed

EC signature date 8 March 2016

Start date 1 April 2016

End date 31 March 2018

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 171 460,80

EU contribution

€ 171 460,80

Coordinated by

TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET DRESDEN
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CONJUGATION (Synthesis of CONJUGAted Two-DimensIonal Supramolecular POlymers for ElectroNics)

Reporting period: 2016-04-01 to 2018-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

1. Explanation of the work carried out by the beneficiaries and Overview of the progress
• All the tasks proposed in the project have been carried out, which led to two corresponding author paper in Nature Communications (open access) and Advanced Materials, as well as a co-first author paper in Chemistry a European Journal. Moreover, a corresponding authorship manuscript is under revision in Nature Chemistry. During the project period, all the work has been done on the side of TUD.
• The fellow has been fully trained as an independent researcher, and he got a professorship at Sun Yat-sen University, one of the top Universities in China.


1.1 Objectives
The objective is to develop a class of 2D conjugated polymers using the concept of organic chemistry under ambient conditions, and the fabrication of 2D polymer and graphene hetero-structures. The project comprises monomer synthesis, interfacial polymerization, processing, characterization and property investigation of produced 2D polymers, and their integration in prototype devices and performance evaluation. The multidisciplinary project aims at providing a very promising young fellow the highest level of training and experience needed to become an independent and leading scientist. The training-through-research offered within the project will broaden and diversify the experience of the fellow into complementary fields of graphene, materials processing and flexible electronics. Along with science, training in lecturing, student supervision, funding application, project management and workshop/conference organization will significantly improve the independence of the fellow, thus giving him the necessary tools to develop a successful and independent career.
The project has achieved most of its objectives and milestones for the period, with relatively minor deviations.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

1.2 Explanation of the work carried per WP
1.2.1 Work Package 1
(1) Established a general synthetic methodology for the preparation of 2D polymers.
(2) Gained several freely suspended 2D polymers, which can be freely suspended over holes. (D1.1). When supported on solid substrate, wafer-sized 2DP has been achieved (M1.1)
(3) Generated 2DP-graphene hetero-structures with designed patterns (D1.2 D1.3)

1.2.2 Work package 2
(1) Gained both optical and electronic band-gap of the synthesized wafer-sized 2DPs (D2.1 D2.1 M2.1)
(2) Proved the molecular structures of the synthesized 2DPs based on TEM characterization, X-ray scattering, and theoretical simulation. (D2.3)
(3) Created 2DPs based FET, and evaluated their performance. (D2.4)
(4) Created 2DP-graphene hetero-structures, characterized with different spectroscopy (M2.2) integrated into photo-detectors (D2.5). Unfortunately, the photo-detector did not work well.
1.2.3 Work package 3
(1) Synthesized 2DPs has been integrated into FETs, and their performance had been evaluated. (D3.1)
(2) Synthesized 2DP-graphene hetero-structures have been integrated into photo-transistors (D3.2).

1.2.4 Details on the (non-scientific) management activities of the project
a. was the researcher involved in all management aspects of the fellowship?
Yes.
b. did the researcher manage the financial part of the project?
Yes, with help from the project coordinator.
c. did the researcher receive support from the administrative staff at the host institution?
Yes, support from both the secretary of the group and the project coordinator.
d. how was the integration of the researcher within the host/department?
The researcher has been fully integrated within the host, TUD.
e. did the researcher supervise Master/PhD students?
Yes, 1 master student, 3 PhD students, and 1 postdoc researcher.
f. were there weekly meetings with the supervisor?
Yes.
g. was the researcher involved in setting up external collaboration (if any), and in the publication of the results?
Yes, the researcher established wide external collaborations. Totally, he collaborated around 50 groups in the world, 10 of them are active even after the departure of the researcher. Some of the collaborators already appeared in the co-publications, such as Prof. Gotthard Seifert, Prof. Ute Kaiser, and Prof. Andreas Fery. Prof. Thomas Heine and Prof. Thomas Heine will appear in the paper under review in Nature Chemistry.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

(1) The fellow had broadened his scientific skills spanning from chemistry to physics, materials science and device engineering. Together will the scientific skills, experience in professional skills (students’ supervision, lecturing and funding application) and complementary skills (meeting/seminar/workshop/conference organization, publications, and public engagement) greatly improved his independence and leadership. Different collaborations involved in the project significantly expanded his network both nationally and transnationally.
(2) The conjugation project developed a new class of 2D materials for the scientific community. In the meantime, the published works, collaboration, lectures, and presentations on conferences greatly helped to build up the fellow’s reputation.
(3) Based on the fellow’s previous experience and gained competence in CONJUGATION, the fellow attracted around 1 million of Euros as a starting grant for his professorship at Sun Yat-sen University, one of the top Universities in China.

"Nature communication volume 7, Article # 13461 2016"