Project description DEENESFRITPL Novel functionalised polymers will spur innovative applications in organic electronics Over the last decade, polymeric thin films for organic electronics have been generating increasing interest. Conjugated polymers, organic macromolecules with a backbone chain of alternating single and double bonds, have a unique structure that can result in interesting optical and electronic properties. For these reasons, they are used in diverse applications including transistors, photovoltaic cells, light-emitting diodes, data storage, batteries and sensors. Unfortunately, many of such materials lack good processability. The EU-funded MP3 project is developing novel techniques for the synthesis of conjugated polymers and their use in ultra-thin film organic electronics. The developed methods will overcome many of the current limitations in fabrication, leading to diverse patterns and architectures as well as applications ranging from sensing and healthcare to electrode materials. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective In this proposal, I introduce a new approach for the synthesis of conjugated polymers comprising anthraquinone and anthracene units in the molecular backbone and their use in ultra-thin film organic electronics. The preparation of these materials is possible via a common multi-potent precursor polymer obtained easily from anthraquinone via nucleophilic attack of an acetylide on the 9,10 position (yielding in a propargyl alcohol fragment) and subsequent polymerization via classic aromatic polymerization routes. Such precursor – whose chemical and processability properties can be tuned by modification of the propargyl alcohol moiety – yields both the final fully-conjugated anthraquinone and anthracene polymers by loss of acetylene or reduction respectively. In this way it is possible to overcome the limitation often fund in the synthesis of high-molecular weight fully-conjugated polymers. Moreover, one can introduce responsive functionalities to trigger the last step using diverse chemical, thermal, and photo stimuli, therefore allowing the realization of fine patterns and architectures via ink-printing, laser writing, and lithographic approaches. I propose to apply this methodology for the realization of ultra-thin inherently-conformable organic electronics devices that can find use in sensing, healthcare, and as electrode materials. Thanks to the orthogonality of the transformations introduced above, the approach described herein allows the preparation of up to three different phases from a single processable material, thus increasing the level of complexity achievable in thin-layer devices. Fields of science natural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciencesengineering and technologymaterials engineeringcoating and filmsnatural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryalcoholsnatural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryaliphatic compoundsnatural sciencesphysical sciencesopticslaser physics Keywords Conjugated polymers Precursor chemistry Organic electronics Organic semiconductors Thin-layer devices Responsive materials Anthraquinone Acenes Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2019 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2019 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF) Coordinator FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA Net EU contribution € 171 473,28 Address Via morego 30 16163 Genova Italy See on map Region Nord-Ovest Liguria Genova Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00
