Malika Jeffries-EL, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Iowa State University, along with a research group comprising a post-doctoral researcher and nine doctoral students are studying the structural properties of polymers that can conduct electricity.
These organic polymers replicate the characteristics of conventional inorganic semiconductors. The outcomes of the study could enable the utilization of organic polymers in organic solar cells, LEDs and thin-film transistors.
In 1970s, researchers Alan Heeger, Hideki Shirakawa and Alan MacDiarmid found that plastics with particular arrangement of atoms act as conductors. The researchers received the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this major discovery.
The Iowa State University researchers are further advancing the research by understanding the association between polymers and the electronic, optical and physical characteristics of the materials. They are also looking for methods of developing organic polymers without using tough acids and extreme temperatures by dissolving them in organic solvents. They used several benzobisazoles molecules as building blocks. The benzobisazoles molecules can effectively transfer electrons. They can also withstand extreme temperatures and can absorb photons, making them ideal for electrical applications. If any of these characteristics are absent, Jeffries-EL and her team can perform chemical restructuring and synthesize the missing properties.
The National Science Foundation offered $486,250 Faculty Early Career Development sponsorship for the research. Jeffries-EL has received support from the Iowa Power Fund for applying organic semiconductor technology to solar cells. The results of the research include peer-evaluated papers published over the last couple of years in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, Journal of Organic Chemistry, Macromolecules and the Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry.
Jeffries-EL mentioned that in order to achieve the complete potential of organic polymers, molecular level engineering has to be made to enhance the material characteristics, resulting in improved performance in various applications.