Novel Polymers of Intrinsic Microporosity for use as photonic materials

Completed

Renewable Energy Sources(Solar Energy, Photovoltaics)
Not Energy Related

Basic and strategic applied research

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Chemistry)
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials)

Not Cross-cutting

Professor N McKeown
Chemistry
Cardiff University

Standard

EPSRC

23 June 2022

22 March 2025

33 months

£355,840

Materials sciences

Wales

NC : Physical Sciences

Professor N McKeown, Chemistry, Cardiff University

Printed electronics is a rapidly growing field, generating a remarkable array of new technologies for lighting, displays, power and sensors. Curved and bendable OLED screens are already in mass production in smart phones and wearables; lightweight plastic solar cells will soon adorn buildings; smart labels and packaging will include sensors that update integrated displays. To make these new technologies very cheaply and in large area it is necessary to print the semiconducting materials from solution (from specialised electronic inks). A very important class of printable semiconductors are conjugated polymers which can strongly absorb light for solar cells, efficiently emit light as lasers, lighting and displays, perform simple logic operations, and respond as sensors for chemicals. To make these long chain molecules processable from solution, however, they require long, oily side groups which constitute around half the mass of the material. This currently necessitates a compromise between the processability of the polymers and their electronic, optical and thermal properties.

17/09/25