Two important directions provide the focus of this research. One goal is to achieve high quantum efficiency photoluminescence from conjugated polymers in solution and in solid thin films. Such highly efficient luminescent polymer films are intended for use in light-emitting diodes (LEDs) fabricated from conducting polymers. The other is to study high quantum efficiency charge separation in conjugated polymer-"buckyball" composites and in p-n heterojunctions made from conjugated polymer-"buckyball" bilayers. The photoinduced charge transfer is analogous to the key step in artificial photosynthesis. A deeper understanding of the science offers the potential for low-cost efficient solar energy conversion from solar cells fabricated from such heterojunctions. Conducting polymers are now available as materials with unique properties: the important electronic and optical properties of semiconductors and metals in combination with the attractive mechanical properties and the processing advantages of polymers. The research will provide basic scientific research on the quantum chemistry and physics of the pi-electrons in conjugated polymers for LEDs and artificial photosynthesis.
