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<p dir="ltr">Increasing power density and power consumption in electronic devices require heat dissipating components with high thermal conductivity to prevent overheating and improve performance and reliability. Polymers offer the advantages of low cost and weight over conventional metallic components, but their intrinsic thermal conductivity is low. Previous studies have shown that the thermal conductivity of polymers can be enhanced by aligning the polymer chains or by adding high thermal conductivity fillers to create percolation paths within the polymeric matrix. To further enhance the in-plane thermal conductivity, the conductive fillers can be aligned preferentially, but this leads to a lower increase in performance in the cross-plane direction. Yet, the cross-plane thermal conductivity plays a vital role in dissipating heat from active devices and transmitting it to the surrounding environment. Alternatively, when the fillers are aligned to enhance cross-plane thermal transport, the enhancement in the in-plane direction is limited. There is a need to develop polymer composites with an approximately isotropic increase in thermal performance compared to their neat counterparts.</p><p dir="ltr">To achieve this goal, in this study, I combine conductive fibers and fillers to enhance thermal conductivity of polymers without significantly inducing thermal anisotropy while preserving the mechanical performance of the matrix. I employ three approaches to enhance the thermal conductivity () of thermoset polymeric matrices. In the first approach, I fabricate thermally conductive polymer composites by creating an emulsion consisting of eutectic gallium indium alloy (EGaIn) liquid metal in the uncured polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix. In the second approach, I infiltrate mats formed from chopped fibers of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) with an uncured epoxy resin. Finally, the third approach combines the two previous methods by infiltrating the UHMWPE fiber mat with an emulsion of the liquid metal and uncured epoxy matrix.</p><p dir="ltr">To evaluate the thermal performance of the composites, I use infrared thermal microscopy with two different experimental setups, enabling independent measurement of in-plane and cross-plane thermal conductivity. The results demonstrate that incorporating thermally conductive fillers enhances the overall conductivity of the polymer composite. Moreover, I demonstrate that the network structure achieved by the fiber mat, in combination with the presence of liquid metal, promotes a more uniform increase in the thermal conductivity of the composite in all directions. Additionally, I assess the impact of filler incorporation and filler concentration on matrix performance through tension, indentation, and bending tests for mechanical characterization of my materials.</p><p dir="ltr">This work demonstrates the potential of strategic composite design to achieve polymeric materials with isotropically high thermal conductivity. These new materials offer a solution to the challenges posed by higher power density and consumption in electronics and providing improved heat dissipation capabilities for more reliable devices.</p>

The growing demand in portable and compact consumer devices and appliances has resulted in the need for the miniaturisation of electronic components. These miniaturised electronic components are sensitive and susceptible to damage by voltages as low as 20V. Electrically conductive styrenic thermoplastics are widely used in electronic packaging applications to protect these sensitive electronic components against electro-static discharge (ESD) during manufacturing, assembly, storage and shipping. Such ESD applications often require the optimal volume resistance range of ≥ 1.0x105 to < 1.0x108 Ω. The best known method to render styrenic thermoplastics conductive is by the incorporation of conductive fillers, such as carbon black but the main limitation is the difficulty in controlling the conductivity level due to the steep percolation curve. Thus the aim of this research is to develop electrically conductive styrenic thermoplastics by blending several styrenic resins with polymeric conductive additives to achieve optimal volume resistance range for ESD applications with the ease in controlling the conductivity level.

One of the aim of this study is to prepare conductive polymer nanocomposites of polypropylene to obtain better mechanical and electrical properties. Composite materials based on conductive fillers dispersed within insulating thermoplastic matrices have wide range of application. For this purpose, conductive polymer nanocomposites of polypropylene with nano dimentional conductive fillers like carbon black, carbon nanotube and fullerene were prepared. Their mechanical, electrical and thermal properties were investigated. Polypropylene (PP)/carbon black (CB) composites at different compositions were prepared via melt blending of PP with CB. The effect of CB content on mechanical and electrical properties was studied. Test samples were prepared by injection molding and compression molding techniques. Also, the effect of processing type on mechanical and electrical properties was investigated. Composites become semiconductive with the addition of 2 wt% CB. Polypropylene (PP) / Carbon Nanotube (CNT) and Polypropylene / Fullerene composites were prepared by melt mixing. CNT&rsquo / s and fullerenes were surface functionalized with HNO3 : H2SO4 before composite preparation. The CNT and fullerene content in the composites were varied as 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 % by weight. For the composites which contain surface modified CNT and fullerene four different compatibilizers were used. These were selected as TritonX-100, Poly(ethylene-block-polyethylene glycol), Maleic anhydride grafted Polypropylene and Cetramium Bromide. The effect of surface functionalization and different compatibilizer on mechanical, thermal and electrical properties were investigated. Best value of these properties were observed for the composites which were prepared with maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene and cetramium bromide. Another aim of this study is to built and characterize transistors which have polyethylene as dielectric layers. While doing this, polyethylene layer was deposited on gate electrode using vacuum evaporation system. Fullerene , Pentacene ve Indigo were used as semiconductor layer. Transistors work with low voltage and high on/off ratio were built with Aluminum oxide - PE and PE dielectrics.

This thesis focused on making composites consisting of a polymethylmethacrylate matrix, with various carbon fillers. The fillers that were examined were 3 different carbon blacks: N-550, N-772 and pureblack, and short multi-wall carbon nano-tubes. The carbon fillers were coated onto the polymethylmethacrylate, and compression molded in order to form a segregated microstructure. The goal of this thesis is to compare the electrical and optical properties of the composites consisting of a segregated microstructure, containing various carbon fillers. Scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate the fracture surface of the composites. Impedance Spectroscopy measured the electrical response of the material, and was used to determine the conductivity and dielectric properties of the composites and estimate the percolation threshold. The multi-wall carbon nano-tubes were found to have the lowest percolation threshold, due to their rod like structure. All of the carbon black fillers displayed similar characteristics in their conductivity and dielectric properties. As the filler content increased, the conductivity and the dielectric constant of the composites increased. Optical absorption measurements determined the amount of light that travel through the specimen. These measurements, showed that the absorbance for the carbon black sample N-550 were lower than the multi-wall carbon nano-tubes at filler contents below a phr of 0.1 The absorption of the carbon black samples was then higher than multi-wall carbon nano-tubes at phrs higher than 0.1. This was found to be related to the nano-tubes starting to form a segregated microstructure at lower filler contents than the sphere-like carbon black nano-particles.

Isotropically conductive adhesives (ICAs) are promising as a lead-free interconnect material; However, ICAs have a higher resistivity compared to tin/lead solder. The higher resistivity of ICAs results from the large contact resistance between conductive fillers. Several novel approaches to engineer the interface between electrically conductive fillers were studied to develop highly conductive ICAs. Shown in this dissertation are three methodologies to reduce contact resistance: low temperature sintering, fast sintering and in-situ reduction. Furthermore, two approaches, surface modification and in-situ protection, were developed to prevent oxidation and corrosion of silver-coated copper flakes to produce low cost ICAs. The findings and insights in this dissertation significantly contribute to (1) understanding of filler-filler, filler-polymer and structure-property relationships of ICAs; (2) the structural design and formulation of high performance ICAs; and (3) the wider use of ICAs in emerging applications such as printed electronics and solar cells.

O objetivo sintético do presente trabalho é a síntese, caracterização e aplicação do polímero conjugado inédito de baixa Egap, poli(9,9-n-dioctil-2,7-fluorenilenovinilenoalt- 4,7-dibenzotiadiazol-2,5-tiofeno) (PF-BTB). A rota sintética proposta envolve 10 passos, dentre os quais destacam-se reações como a de Wittig e acoplamentos de paládio (Stille e Heck). A caracterização da molécula envolveu as técnicas de RMN de 1H, espectroscopias de infravermelho, UV-VIS e fluorescência, voltametria cíclica, análises térmicas (TGA e DSC) e cromatografia por permeação em gel. A primeira aplicação do polímero se deu na construção de um nariz eletrônico capaz de identificar com ótima precisão três variedades de tabaco (Burley, Flue Cured e Oriental), além de oito diferentes marcas comerciais de cigarro. Esses estudos, além da aplicação prática, serviram para mostrar a eficiência de um tipo novo de sensor para narizes eletrônicos, composto por um mesmo polímero condutor dopado com diferentes porfirinas, denominado sensor híbrido. Por fim, filmes finos do polímero PF-BTB, depositados sobre eletrodos de ouro, tiveram suas propriedades magnetorresistivas testadas em diferentes condições, apresentando valores maiores que 40%, o que é considerado muito alto para esse tipo de fenômeno em filmes poliméricos. / The aim of this work is the synthesis, characterization and application of a novel low Egap conjugated polymer, poly(9,9-n-octyl-2,7-fluorenevinylene-alt-4,7- benzothiadiazole-2,5-thiophene) (PF-BTB). The synthetic pathway comprises 10 steps, involving reaction such as Wittig\'s and palladium cross-couplings (Heck\'s and Stille\'s). The molecule was characterized by the following techniques: 1H NMR, spectroscopic analyses (FTIR, UV-VIS and fluorescence spectroscopy), cyclic voltammetry, thermal analyses (TGA and DSC) and gel permeation chromatography. The polymer was first used to build an electronic nose, which successfully identified three tobacco types (Burley, Flue Cured and Oriental) with high accuracy. The same system could also identify eight different cigarette brands. Besides this practical application, the experiments were designed to show the power of a new sensor type, composed by a single conductive polymer doped with different porphyrins, a composite sensor. Finally, thin films of PF-BTB deposited onto gold electrodes had their magnetoresistive properties tested under different conditions. The material showed magnetoresistance values higher than 40%, which is considered outstanding for this kind of polymeric films.

In this research were studied electrochemical properties of films polypyrrole, poly[(12-pyrrol-1’yldodecanoic acid)], poly[1-(3-brominepropylpyrrole)], poly[1-(3-iodinepropylpyrrole) and poly[4-(3-pyrrolyl)butyric acid] prepared by electrochemical methods and deposited onto Indium Tin doped Oxide. The polymers were obtained from the electrochemical deposition methods potentiodynamic, potentiostatic and galvanostatic and characterized by electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques. The polypyrrole and poly [4 - (3-pyrrolyl) butyric acid] showed capacitive behavior as poly[(12-pyrrol-1’yl dodecanoic acid)] e poly[1-(3-iodinepropylpyrrole) presented a redox couple attributed to the process of doping - undoping of polymers. The capacitive properties of the polymer were obtained from calculations coulombic efficiency and specific capacitance obtained from the charge-discharge curves of the films. The values obtained for these parameters demonstrated the possibility of application of these films in capacitors. All films showed color variations depending on the applied potential and the UV-Vis spectra for the films showed characteristic absorption bands and decrease of the energy gap by increasing the doping level of the polymer. The films were characterized by atomic force microscopy and showed good homogeneity. The values obtained for these parameters demonstrated the possibility of application of these films in electrochromic devices. / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Neste trabalho foram estudadas as propriedades eletroquímicas dos filmes de polipirrol, poli[ácido(12-pirolildodecanóico)], poli[1-(3-bromopropilpirrol)], poli[1-(3-iodopropilpirrol)] e de poli[ácido4-(3-pirrolil)-butírico] preparados por métodos eletroquímicos e depositados sobre eletrodos de óxido de índio dopado com estanho. Os polímeros foram obtidos através dos métodos eletroquímicos de deposição potenciodinâmico, potenciostático e galvanostático e caracterizados por técnicas eletroquímicas e espectroscópicas. O polipirrol e poli[ácido-4-(3-pirrolil)-butírico] apresentaram comportamento capacitivo enquanto o poli [ácido (12-pirolildodecanóico)], poli[1-(3-bromopropilpirrol)] e o poli[1-(3-iodopropilpirrol)] apresentaram um par redox atribuído ao processo de dopagem-desdopagem dos polímeros. As propriedades capacitivas dos polímeros foram investigadas através de cálculos da eficiência coulômbica e da capacitância específicas obtidas a partir das curvas de carga-descarga dos filmes. Os valores obtidos para esses parâmetros demonstraram a possibilidade de aplicações destes filmes em capacitores. Todos os filmes apresentaram variações de coloração conforme o potencial aplicado e os espectros por UV-Vis para os filmes mostraram bandas de absorção características e diminuição da energia de gap pelo aumento do nível de dopagem dos polímeros. Os filmes foram caracterização por microscopia de força atômica e apresentaram boa homogeneidade. Os valores obtidos para esses parâmetros demonstraram a possibilidade de aplicações destes filmes em dispositivos eletrocrômicos.

O objetivo sintético do presente trabalho é a síntese, caracterização e aplicação do polímero conjugado inédito de baixa Egap, poli(9,9-n-dioctil-2,7-fluorenilenovinilenoalt- 4,7-dibenzotiadiazol-2,5-tiofeno) (PF-BTB). A rota sintética proposta envolve 10 passos, dentre os quais destacam-se reações como a de Wittig e acoplamentos de paládio (Stille e Heck). A caracterização da molécula envolveu as técnicas de RMN de 1H, espectroscopias de infravermelho, UV-VIS e fluorescência, voltametria cíclica, análises térmicas (TGA e DSC) e cromatografia por permeação em gel. A primeira aplicação do polímero se deu na construção de um nariz eletrônico capaz de identificar com ótima precisão três variedades de tabaco (Burley, Flue Cured e Oriental), além de oito diferentes marcas comerciais de cigarro. Esses estudos, além da aplicação prática, serviram para mostrar a eficiência de um tipo novo de sensor para narizes eletrônicos, composto por um mesmo polímero condutor dopado com diferentes porfirinas, denominado sensor híbrido. Por fim, filmes finos do polímero PF-BTB, depositados sobre eletrodos de ouro, tiveram suas propriedades magnetorresistivas testadas em diferentes condições, apresentando valores maiores que 40%, o que é considerado muito alto para esse tipo de fenômeno em filmes poliméricos. / The aim of this work is the synthesis, characterization and application of a novel low Egap conjugated polymer, poly(9,9-n-octyl-2,7-fluorenevinylene-alt-4,7- benzothiadiazole-2,5-thiophene) (PF-BTB). The synthetic pathway comprises 10 steps, involving reaction such as Wittig\'s and palladium cross-couplings (Heck\'s and Stille\'s). The molecule was characterized by the following techniques: 1H NMR, spectroscopic analyses (FTIR, UV-VIS and fluorescence spectroscopy), cyclic voltammetry, thermal analyses (TGA and DSC) and gel permeation chromatography. The polymer was first used to build an electronic nose, which successfully identified three tobacco types (Burley, Flue Cured and Oriental) with high accuracy. The same system could also identify eight different cigarette brands. Besides this practical application, the experiments were designed to show the power of a new sensor type, composed by a single conductive polymer doped with different porphyrins, a composite sensor. Finally, thin films of PF-BTB deposited onto gold electrodes had their magnetoresistive properties tested under different conditions. The material showed magnetoresistance values higher than 40%, which is considered outstanding for this kind of polymeric films.

Today, smart innovation has become an essential part of human life; thus, contemporary technologies are always looking for intelligent, responsive, and efficient materials to satisfy these demands. Consequently, synthetic "metals" or, more precisely, intrinsically conducting polymers (CPs) have begun to find a place as valuable and practical materials for a new generation of devices. Amongst all intrinsic conducting polymers, polyaniline (PANI) has attracted significant attention due to its outstanding air and moisture stability, simple preparation technique, and high electrical conductivity (chapter I). Chapter II represents the synthesis of a new PANI derivative that contains a phenoxazine unit co-polymerized with p-phenylenediamine derivatives by the Buchwald/Hartwig reaction. These polymers are soluble in many common organic solvents, which permit their full characterization and allow for solution processing. The polymers' optical properties mimicked PANI; however, they were more electrochemically stable and soluble compared to PANI. In addition, the analogous PANI emeraldine base forms a large bathochromic shift in the absorption spectra upon acidic doping to form analogues of PANI emeraldine salts. Chapter III describes our strategy to prepare economical, electrochemically stable, and processable PANI derivatives from carbazole and 1,4-aryldiamines for supercapacitor device. The polymers exhibit good solubility in various organic solvents, enabling a scalable spray-coating method to fabricate electrodes. The polymers were used to fabricate electrodes for supercapacitor devices and exhibit a maximum area capacitance of 64.8 mF cm−2 and specific capacitance of 319 F g−1 at a current density of 0.2 mA cm−2. Chapter IV MXene has been recently widely applied to energy storage devices due to its metallic conductivity and excellent electrochemical Activities. However, MXene sheets suffer from the restacking phenomena during cycling. Restacking restricts the ion diffusions and storage capability between the MXene layers, which lowers the accessible surface area. The restacking phenomena of MXene sheets was shown to be eliminated by the deposition of conductive polymers on the surface of MXene sheets.