Solution-phase self-assembly is a powerful way to produce order in nanostructured materials.  In this talk, we explore how that ordering can tune materials' properties.  We begin with semiconducting polymers because the optical and electronic properties of these flexible semiconductors are very sensitive to chain conformation.  Straightening and isolating polymer chains in silica nanopores can dramatically increase carrier mobility.  We specifically fabricate FETs from aligned polymers in silica nanopores and use these devices to measure mobility in both crystalline and amorphous polymers.  To extend the ideas of straight and isolated polymers to more easily processed materials, we examine amphiphlic semiconducting polymers that can self-assemble into cylindrical micelles in solution.  If time permits, we will also discuss experiments that use solution-phase assembly to produce controlled porosity in redox-active materials for application in supercapacitors and batteries.  Here we show how polymer templated porous materials combine high surface area, facile solvent diffusion, and mechanical flexibility to improve rate performance in nanostructured charge-storage materials.

Using solution phase self-assembly to control the properties of materials – from aligned semiconducting polymers to nanoporous batteries

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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