The development and realization of the next generation of functional organic materials - as intellectual endeavors and as materials of commerce - will require contributions from the seemingly unrelated areas of synthesis, evaluation and application. Professor Tovar has initiated a program at Johns Hopkins University that will provide broad training in organic materials chemistry with an emphasis on the development of new strategies to regulate charge transport through organic electronic plastics. Investigation of new molecular architectures will yield improved materials with higher electrical conductivities, stronger luminescence or greater environmental stabilities. With the support of this CAREER award, the Tovar research group will (1) re-examine historically relevant yet unusual aromatic components with the desire to enhance charge transport through conjugated polymers and (2) design chemically-switchable pi-conjugated topologies that will enable the realization of dramatic and reversible changes in solid-state electronic properties accompanied by minimal macromolecular conformational changes. Throughout these efforts, the concept of making and breaking aromatic circuits will be an important design criterion for realizing new functional materials properties. The execution of this research will involve a continual loop of chemical synthesis of structurally complex pi-conjugated molecular architectures followed by detailed spectroscopic and electrochemical characterization. Members of Prof. Tovar's research team will gain expertise in the synthetic organic chemistry of aromatic systems as well as with sophisticated analytical electrochemical techniques not typically introduced to students of organic chemistry. Opportunities to participate first-hand in multi-disciplinary research collaborations will provide working fluency in many cutting-edge avenues where synthetic chemistry plays a major role to advance new science.
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: There is significant interest in the development of electrically conductive plastics derived from organic polymers as viable alternatives to more established inorganic materials. Organic polymers are much easier to process, allowing them to be fashioned into lightweight, large area, and even flexible devices. Applications for these plastic devices range from portable photovoltaic cells, light-emitting displays and paintable electronics to new biocompatible medical materials. This CAREER award will support research intended to learn how to regulate the electronic properties of these unusual organic plastics. This science will have minimal broader impact if the greater community outside the sphere of synthetic organic chemistry cannot be engaged in some way, be they young children or experts in engineering disciplines. Efforts to ensure this impact under the auspices of this CAREER award involve (1) initiating a program involving hands-on chemistry experiences for K-5 children at a nearby public library, (2) organizing exchanges between current chemistry undergraduates and local high school students to encourage the study of college-level chemistry and (3) participating in the establishment of a local network of scientists at academic and federal institutions who share common interests in organic-based materials science and nanotechnology.
