Project 2.- Polyelectrolyte mediated redox chemistry and interfaces between dissimilarly doped conjugated polymers.

The mobility of dopant ions in conjugated polymers presents a potential problem in the fabrication of interfaces between dissimilarly doped conjugated polymers, which are of interest because of the central role analogous silicon-based interfaces play in conventional microelectronic devices (e.g. the pn junction). The mobility of dopant atoms in conjugated polymers can result in bulk chemical reactions between phases of different doping types or densities. We are working to overcome this problem through kinetic control over reactivity. The central hypothesis is that internal compensation can be used to render thermodynamically unstable interfaces between doped conjugated polymers kinetically stable. In internally compensated conjugated polymers, the density of charge injected into the polymer backbone upon doping is balanced by covalently bound ionic centers. Such centers are immobile and consequently cannot support bulk redox reactions.

Selected Publications
1. M.C. Lonergan, C.H. Cheng, B.L. Langsdorf, X. Zhou, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 124, 690 (2002).
2. B. Langsdorf, X. Zhou, M. C. Lonergan, Macromolecules 34, 2450 (2001).