Electron-Accepting Molecules and Polymers: Theoretical Insights – Douglas Dudis

Date: Mon. May 5th, 2003, 12:30 pm-1:30 pm
Location: Rockefeller 221

Conjugated molecules and polymers are of intense interest because of their novel electronic, linear and nonlinear optical, electrochemical and biological properties. Technologies benefiting from these materials include photovoltaics, batteries, capacitors, molecular electronics, electrochromics and light emitters among others. While a few reasonably stable p-dopable conductive molecules are commercially available, technologically viable n-dopable materials remain elusive. Suitable n-dopable polymers would, for example, enable the fabrication of all polymer p-n junction devices. This talk will summarize recent experimental and theoretical efforts to understand, design, and synthesize environmentally stable n-dopable (i.e. electron-accepting) materials. The work is an integration of efforts in quantum materials simulations, semiconductor physics, electrochemistry, polymer science and materials chemistry. In addition to work on organic molecules and polymers, some recent work on ‘super electron acceptors’ derived from buckminsterfullerene materials will also be discussed.