Publications

Rational design and synthesis of semi-conducting polymers

Cordaro, Joseph G.; Wong, Bryan M.

A rational approach was used to design polymeric materials for thin-film electronics applications, whereby theoretical modeling was used to determine synthetic targets. Time-dependent density functional theory calculations were used as a tool to predict the electrical properties of conjugated polymer systems. From these results, polymers with desirable energy levels and band-gaps were designed and synthesized. Measurements of optoelectronic properties were performed on the synthesized polymers and the results were compared to those of the theoretical model. From this work, the efficacy of the model was evaluated and new target polymers were identified.