Cecilia Pilon
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Richard Laine
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Materials Science and Engineering / Engineering
Program:
Authors: Zijing Zhang
Session: Session 1: 9:00 am – 9:50 am
Poster: 88
Abstract
Conjugation is used to describe alternating single and double bonds in organic molecules. Conjugated polymers typically have a carbon backbone of alternating double and single bonds. Normal organic polymers are insulators, but due to their delocalized electrons, conjugated polymers often have different conductive and photophysical properties. Due to their low-cost, good stability, and electrical properties, conjugated polymers are used in hybrid organic: solar cells, transistors, and light-emitting diodes or P-OLEDs. When polymers are made up of two different repeating subunits called monomers, they are known as copolymers. The copolymers synthesized in our lab have an aromatic monomer containing conventional alternating double and single bond conjugation found in typical conjugated polymers. The other monomer is a disiloxane, vinylMe2Si-O-SiMe2vinyl. This component exhibits unexpected novel conjugation we are currently investigating. These unconventionally conjugated systems can be more thermally stable and have higher quantum efficiencies when compared to other conjugated polymers. Also, our finding of unconventional conjugation challenges previous ideas that disiloxanes are wholly insulating and suggests potential applications in more energy efficient emissive layers in P-OLEDs, sensors, hybrid photovoltaics, and white lighting as well as more heat resistant transistors, potentially advantageous vs. other conjugated polymers.
