The group designs and synthesizes organic and hybrid semiconductor materials that hold a charge—even when flexed and stretched—as well as the methods to scale production of these materials for manufacturing. Researchers are also developing processing techniques to manipulate and control the structure of thin films and single crystals to improve charge transport and photovoltaic performance. They also are pursuing advanced materials and processes to produce robust flexible lithium-ion batteries.
Applications for their work include wearable communication devices and biomedical electronics, solar cells, electronic displays, smart packaging, radio-frequency identification tags, electronic paper and flexible electronics, data and memory storage, and more.
Research Goals
- Flexible, stretchable electronics: Combining organic semiconductors with various polymers to improve their stability, charge transport, and photovoltaic performance for optoelectronics
- Alternative energy: Designing and developing systems to increase the power-conversion efficiency of organic photovoltaic cells
- Energy storage: Developing systems for the production of flexible, high-performance lithium-ion batteries
- Multifunctional nanocomposites: Exploring materials for optical, electrical, catalytic, and dielectric applications
- Biomaterials: Developing materials for environmentally friendly electronics based on cellulose nanocrystals and nanofibrils
Activities
- Material functionality: Understanding materials characteristics and how materials processing impacts morphology and device performance
- Fabrication and evaluation: Organic semiconductor processing, synthesis of semiconducting polymers, molecular coplanarity, tuning of HOMO/LUMO energy levels
- Process-structure-property modeling: Creating a toolbox for the design of organic and hybrid materials with enhanced performance attributes
Leadership
- Member, National Science Foundation Math and Physical Sciences Advisory Committee
- Past co-chair, National Research Council Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology
- Past-president, American Chemical Society
- Former associate editor, Chemistry of Materials