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Helically-Locked π-Conjugated Oligomers and Polymers with Tunable Twist

Project description

Investigating the effect of backbone twisting in organic electronic materials

The ability of organic materials to get twisted in such a way as to become chiral renders them unique electronic, magnetic and optical properties that are highly desirable for the development of optoelectronic, magneto-optic and spintronic devices. In contrast to their planar analogues, twisted polymers are poorly understood. Twisting often comes at the expense of pi conjugation, causing inferior device performance. The EU-funded PolyHelix project plans to introduce a new family of helically locked organic electronic materials – oligomers and polymers – which allow fine-tuning of the twist of the pi-conjugated backbone. This should allow researchers to monitor and understand how twisting affects the properties of organic electronic materials.

Objective

The performance of organic electronic materials is strongly dependent on their conformation. Twisting these materials out of planarity induces chirality and thus results in new electronic, magnetic, and optical properties with increasing numbers of applications as non-liner optical devices, spin filters, and magneto-optical devices. However, the effect of twisting is poorly understood, as it is difficult to isolate from other factors. Moreover, twisting often comes at the expense of π-conjugation, resulting in inferior device performance.
Using a novel approach, I propose to address this challenge by introducing a new family of helically-locked organic electronic materials, oligomers and polymers, in which the twist of the π-conjugated backbone can be finely tuned. This will allow us to monitor and understand the effects of twisting on the electronic, optical, and magnetic properties of organic electronic materials. Unlike most chiral conjugated materials, the proposed approach allows the formation of polymers with a tunable twist, helical backbone chirality and strong π-conjugation, a combination often difficult to obtain.
Following our preliminary findings, which successfully demonstrated the helical locking of small acene units to a specific twist angle, my team will focus on five ambitious projects: 1) Synthesis of extendable twistacene units. 2) Synthesis of helically-chiral oligomers polymers with tuneable twist. 3) Study of the effect of twisting on the charge and energy transfer processes. 4) Synthesis of open shell twisted acenes. 5) Understanding the effect of twisting on the magneto-optical properties and chiral-induced spin selectivity.
The successful introduction of the abovementioned twisted backbones will allow us to understand the influence of molecular structure on fundamental properties of organic electronic materials, and the acquired knowledge will lead to design new materials for efficient optoelectronic, magneto-optic and spintronic devices.

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Topic(s)

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ERC-STG - Starting Grant

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) ERC-2019-STG

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Host institution

THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 460 375,00
Address
EDMOND J SAFRA CAMPUS GIVAT RAM
91904 JERUSALEM
Israel

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Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 460 375,00

Beneficiaries (1)

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