9703311 Lonergan The research program in this CAREER award targets the development of a new concept in conjugated polymer interfaces: the use of conjugated ionomers to form stable interfaces between dissimilarly doped conjugated polymers. The realization of this concept will open a new avenue in the study of conjugated polymer interfaces. An avenue that has great promise for the fundamental study ofthe electronics of conjugated polymers at interfaces and that may lead to a number of exciting new device technologies. The research program has three major elements: (1) a synthetic effort to develop ring-opening polymerization techniques for the synthesis of conjugated ionomers with a controlled density of ionizable functionalities, (2) the development of innovative doping methodologies for the preparation of truly self-doped polymers and for the preparation of multilayer structures in which each layer has different doping characteristics, and (3) the fundamental study of interfaces between differentially doped conjugated polymenrs, such as the polymeric pn junction, to test traditional models of current flow and depletion at semiconductor interfaces. In this CAREER award, activities in support of chemical education at a variety levels are also detailded. At the undergraduate level, a program of implementing tested innovations into the general chemistry curriculum at the University of Oregon is described; these include an emphasis on the concepts of learning through inquiry and of learning from peers. The goal is to better involve students in their own education and go beyond the facts of science to teach how science is done. On the graduate level, the projects works toward improving Oregon's ability to better meet the educational and career goals of individual students while maintaining the scientific rigor and high standards befitting an Advanced degree in chemistry. %%% The primary outcomes of this work will be: (1) self-doped polymers where the leve l of injected charge is precisely balanced by the density of covalently bound ionic centers, (2) a general approach to all polymeric pn junctions and other device structures involving contacted differentially doped conjugated polymers, (3) a systematic study of depletion in conjugated polymers, and (4) a clearer picture of the promise for conjugated polymers in semiconductor device applications. ***
