Understanding the interplay between chemical structures, macroscopic properties, and functionality enables the development of emergent materials for elucidating fundamental biological mechanisms, fabricating translational devices, and designing tools for precise manipulation of targeted systems. I will briefly present my work on the molecular design of polymers and its implications on the macroscopic properties and functionalities: (1) sequence-specificity in peptidomimetic 2D nanosheets as antibody-mimetics, (2) hierarchically-ordered nanopatterns for spatial control of biomolecules, (3) alignment of liquid crystalline systems by magnetic alignment, and (4) surface-engineered blends of semiconductors and elastomers for stretchable electronics. This talk will focus on my recent work on the design of intrinsically stretchable electronics for transient applications.<br/><br/>Biodegradable stretchable devices pose remarkable opportunities for health and environmental monitoring, consumer products and national defense. Their practical application critically hinges on the development of integrated transistors that simultaneously exhibit mechanical compliance while maintaining high electronic performance for practical application. Imparting biodegradability and stretchability to electronically conducting and semiconducting polymers present a particular challenge due to the inherent resistance of most conductive chemistries to hydrolytic cleavage and their typical semicrystalline nature, respectively. To address this challenge, I draw upon recent chemical and mechanical strategies of electronic-skin applications to develop stretchable and biodegradable semiconductors and conductors. The mechanical, electrical, and accelerated degradation characteristics of these systems will be presented, as well as insights on the molecular design necessary to achieve the desired mechanical properties. Looking forward, I am interested leveraging my expertise in polymer chemistry and engineering to actively partake in the cycle of translational research to better develop materials for practical and meaningful devices.

Molecularly engineering polymers for biodegradable and stretchable electronics

2019 Fall National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.