This dissertation demonstrated that the manipulation of substances at the molecular or nanometer level can lead to the discovery and development of new materials with interesting properties and important applications. Chapter 1 describes the development of a nanoscale molecular thin film material for corrosion protection. By using a self-assembled monolayer film with a thickness of only about 1 nanometer as a linkage, a covalent bonding was achieved between a polyurethane top coating and an aluminum alloy substrate. This covalent bonding between polymer top coating and the aluminum alloy substrate significantly improved the corrosion resistance of the substrate. Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 describe the development of a gold nanoparticle-polymer composite material in different forms with a number of applications. Gold nanoparticles are among one of the most extensively studied nanomaterials. When the size of gold is shrunk to the nanometer scale, many interesting and new physical properties start to appear from gold nanoparticles. The optical properties of gold nanoparticles, particularly the surface plasmon resonance absorption, have been investigated in this dissertation for the development of multifunctional nanocomposite materials. Chapter 2 presents the preparation of a gold nanoparticle/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanocomposite film and the application of such films for microstructure fabrication using a direct laser writing technique. Gold nanoparticles are excellent photon-thermal energy converters due to their large absorption cross section at the surface plasmon resonance region. Upon laser irradiation of the nanocomposite film, the thermal energy converted from the absorbed photon energy by gold nanopaticles induced a complete decomposition of PMMA, leading to the formation of various microstructures on the nanocomposite films. Chapter 3 reports the further development of a nanoparticle/polymer composite nanofiber material fabricated through an electrospinning process. The matrix of the nanofiber is made of two polyelectrolytes, poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH). Three methods were developed to incorporate gold nanoparticles into the polymer matrix. The composite nanofiber materials developed in this study demonstrate multifunctional properties, including good electrical conductivity, photothermal response, and surface-enhanced IR absorption. This material may be used for many important applications including catalysis, chemical and biological sensors, and scaffold materials for tissue engineering. In Chapter 4, another most important nanomaterial, carbon naotubes (CNTs), were introduced as fillers to prepare polymer nanocomposites. A dispersion method for multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) using a conjugated conducting polymer, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as the third component and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) as a co-solvent was developed. Due to the excellent dispersion of carbon nanotubes in PMMA and enhanced conductivity of the nanocomposites by the conjugated conducting polymers, the prepared composite materials has an extremely low percolation threshold of less than 0.006 wt% of MWCNT content. The potential use of MWCNT/conducting polymer composites for energy storage applications such as suppercapacitors was further investigated by Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and charging-discharging cycles. Compared to pure carbon nanotubes, the nanocomposite materials have significantly improved properties and are promising for supercapacitor applications.

This thesis focuses on the electrical output of polyaniline films subjected to uniaxial strain in hydrochloric acid solutions. Polyaniline belongs to novel class of materials known as conducting polymers. Alternating single and double bonds in the backbone of conducting polymers allow them to transmit electric charge when they are doped with negatively charged ions. Modifying the degree of doping and other electrical/chemical treatments allow conducting polymers to exhibit conducting, semi-conducting, or insulating electrical properties. Resilient mechanical properties, good processability, and low cost make conducting polymers good candidates for applications traditionally held by metals and semi-conductors. When tensile strain is applied to polyaniline in an electrolyte solution, the material selectively absorbs negatively charged ions. This charge imbalance produces a measurable electrical output. Theoretical models based on Fick’s second law of diffusion were compared against experimental results to determine fundamental material properties such as diffusivity and ion solubility in polyaniline. These properties were used to quantify polyaniline as a sensor material based on characteristics including sensitivity, accuracy, precision, range, linearity, and error. Films were cast from solutions of polyaniline powder (Mn = 65,000) in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone solvent, with thicknesses ranging from 2.72 to 158 µm.

Since the discovery in 1977 that conjugated polymers can be doped to achieve almost metallic electronic conduction, the research field of conducting polymers has escalated, with applications such as light emitting diodes, solar cells, thin film transistors, electrochemical transistors, logic circuits and sensors. The materials can be chemically modified during their synthesis in order to tailor the desired mechanical, electronic and optical properties of the final product. Polymers are also generally possible to process from solution, and regular roll-to-roll printing techniques can therefore be used for manufacturing of electronic components on flexible substrates like plastic or paper. On top of that, the nature of conjugated polymers enables the creation of devices with novel properties, which are not possible to achieve by using inorganic materials such as silicon. The work presented in this thesis mainly focuses on devices that utilize two rather unique properties of conducting polymers. Conducting polymers are generally electrochromic, i.e. they change color upon electrochemical oxidation or reduction, and can therefore be used as both conductor and pixel element in simple organic displays. As a result of the electrochemical reaction, some polymers also alter their surface properties and have proven to be suitable materials for organic electronic wettability switches. Control of surface wettability has applications in such diverse areas as printing techniques, micro-fluidics and biomaterials. The aim of the thesis is to briefly describe the physical and chemical background of the materials used in organic electronic devices. Topics include molecular properties and doping of conjugated polymers, electrochromism, surface tension etc. This slightly theoretical part is followed by a more detailed explanation of device design, functionality and characterization. Finally, a glance into future projects will also be presented. / <p>ISRN/Report code: LiU-TEK-LIC-2005:50</p>

Since their discovery over two decades ago, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have become one of the most investigated nanomaterials in materials science. Their exotic optical, electrical, thermal and mechanical properties afford them amazing potential in a variety of different fields. Current SWNT synthetic processes produce heterogeneous mixtures of both semiconducting and metallic SWNTs. The mixed electronic nature of these materials, combined with their limited solubility, has significantly hampered the realization of many applications and necessitates the development of post-synthetic purification techniques. Conjugated polymers offer a significant advantage over other proposed strategies in that not only do they provide a cheaper and scalable route towards the isolation of SWNTs, but they also allow for the preparation of materials with novel properties. Polyfluorenes have been extensively investigated in the literature due to their preference towards dispersing semiconducting SWNTs; however, these dispersions are often quite dilute, and the polyfluorene structure is incompatible with certain device applications for SWNTs. Poly(2,7-carbazole)s offer a viable alternative to polyfluorenes for the purification of bulk SWNT material. At the time of this thesis, there have been relatively few reports investigating the interactions of poly(2,7-carbazole)s with SWNTs, and the majority of examples in the literature have suffered from poor stability and complex dispersal procedures due to the inherent insolubility of the 2,7-carbazole structure. The work presented in this thesis involved the preparation and characterization of a novel poly(2,7-carbazole) structure that displayed excellent solubility in a variety of organic solvents, allowing for the preparation of extremely stable and relatively concentrated dispersions of SWNTs. Thorough characterization of the supramolecular complexes through absorbance, photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopies determined that this polymer preferentially disperses semiconducting SWNTs. A second objective of this work was to investigate how modification of various parameters (including polymer structure, molecular weight and the type of SWNTs) can influence the quality of the resultant composite dispersions. One important study performed was to investigate how the electronic nature of the polymer backbone can affect the separation of SWNTs by electronic type. We demonstrate for the first time that by incorporating an electron-poor functionality into a polyfluorene it is possible to change from dispersing only semiconducting SWNTs to solubilizing both electronic types. This investigation highlights the potential importance of incorporating electron-poor functionalities in the development of polymeric systems that can selectively discriminate metallic SWNTs, which remains a challenging endeavor at the time of this thesis publication. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are of special interest in current research due to their extraordinary mechanical, electronic and optical properties. Their unique structure, remarkable thermal and electrical conductivity, and high mechanical strength make SWNTs viable candidates for a wide range of device applications. However, pristine CNTs are not dispersible in most solvents, the main difficulties in CNT applications are related to their purification and solution-phase processing. In recent years, the supramolecular functionalization of SWNTs with conjugated polymers has received significant attention. Research within this field has been driven by the desire to find polymer structures that can selectively disperse certain nanotubes species with high efficiency.</p> <p>After a brief overview of the studies that are related to the investigation of the supramolecular interaction between various conjugated polymers and SWNTs (chapter 1), the synthesis of fluorene and thiophene-based conjugated polymers and their supramolecular complex formation properties with SWNTs are described (chapter 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6). In order to understand the effect that conjugated polymer structure has on formation of supramolecular complexes with SWNTs, various factors were investigated by: (1) altering the polymer backbone composition; (2) varying the polymer molecular weight; (3) introducing different solubilizing groups while the polymer backbone remained the same; (4) changing the polymer conformation. All of the resulting polymer-nanotube assemblies exhibit excellent solution stability in THF in the absence of excess unbound free polymer. The spectroscopic characterization of the polymer-SWNT complex materials indicated that the interaction between the conjugated polymers and SWNTs is strongly influenced by polymer structure.</p> <p>The interaction between a water soluble polythiophene derivative, poly[3-(3-N,N-diethylaminopropoxy)-thiophene] (PDAOT), and SWNTs is discussed in chapter 7. It is also demonstrated that the PDAOT-SWNT complexes form stable aqueous solutions that can be used for the fabrication of highly sensitive amperometric glucose biosensors.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The electrospinning technique is an attractive route for processing conjugated polymers (CPs) in a significant quantity for large-scale applications. However, the processing-structure-property relationship of the electrospinning process for CPs is not well understood. This dissertation provides a fundamental understanding regarding the structure development of CPs in electrospun fibers because of different processing conditions and relates that to fiber properties. Electrospinning was conducted for a mixture of polyethylene oxide (PEO) and poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) of three different molecular weights and two aging conditions: freshly prepared and 24 h aged spinning solutions. The aging of the spinning solution led to the self-assembly of P3HT chains, particularly with dominant H-aggregation for the higher molecular weight of P3HT. Those preexisting H-aggregates in the solution were retained and even increased in the fibers during electrospinning. Single fiber electrical conductivity, measured using a custom-built technique, has been found to increase with increasing molecular weight, particularly, a significant enhancement of that was observed for the fibers from the aged solution compared to the fibers obtained from the freshly prepared solution. Blending insulating polymers in CPs for electrospinning can hamper charge-carrier transfer, particularly when a large amount of insulating polymers is used for electrospinning. Thus, we adopted a coaxial electrospinning approach to avoid the blending of insulating components and to preserve the electrical properties of CPs. The coaxial fiber consisted of flexible polymers such as butyl rubber (BR), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), and PEO in the core and P3HT in the shell. BR in the core led to highly stretchable fibers. Further, P3HT in the shell facilitated the direct doping of the fiber without any post-treatment. The electrical conductivity of the doped fibers did not change significantly up to 400% strain and remained almost unchanged under cyclic loading, showing excellent mechanical reversibility. The general applicability of the spinning approach developed here has been demonstrated by successfully electrospinning donor-acceptor CP at the shell of the coaxial fibers. Our results provide new understandings linking the processing of CPs in fibers, the structural evolution of CPs in the fibers, and the corresponding electrical properties as a function of molecular weight, aging of solution, and mechanical loading.

As células solares poliméricas (PSCs) e diodos emissores de luz poliméricos (PLEDs) destacam-se dos seus análogos inorgânicos pela possibilidade de reduzir custo de fabricação, obtenção de dispositivos mais leves e flexíveis, maior liberdade no design e menor tempo de produção de dispositivos, devido à sua maior facilidade de processamento. Neste trabalho foram investigadas as mudanças nas propriedades fotofísicas, eletroquímicas e elétricas do poli[2,7-(9,9-dioctilfluoreno)-alt-4,7-bis(2,5-tiofeno)-2,1,3-benzotiadiazol] (PDBT) e seus derivados contendo grupos substituintes hexila no anel tiofeno. Este polímero conjugado é conhecido por seu potencial para aplicações em PSCs. Para tanto, três copolímeros, contendo diferentes concentrações de mero tiofeno substituído, foram sintetizados via reação de acoplamento de Suzuki. Usando técnicas adequadas, foram verificadas correlações entre o comportamento fotofísico, térmico e elétrico dos copolímeros e o teor de tiofeno substituído. Os materiais poliméricos sintetizados foram aplicados como camada ativa em PLEDs e PSCs. Em relação aos PLEDs, foi verificada baixa luminância e emissão de luz na faixa da cor laranja e cor verde. Além disso, diferentes efeitos, relacionados com a concentração de tiofeno substituído e as propriedades fotovoltaicas, foram identificados nas PSCs montadas. / Polymer Solar cells (PSCs) and polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) draw attention from their inorganic analogues for the possibility of manufacturing cost reduction, more light and flexible devices, as well as the greater design freedom and shorter production time devices due to its easier processing. In this work, we investigated the changes in the photophysical, electrochemical and electrical properties from poly[2,7-(9,9-dioctylfluorene)-alt-4,7-bis(2,5-thiophene)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole] (PDBT) that was caused by hexyl substituents introduction on the copolymer thiophene rings. This conjugated polymer system is known for its PSCs applications potential. Therefore, three copolymers, with different concentrations of substituted thiophene mere, were synthesized by Suzuki polycondensation. Using appropriate techniques, direct relationships were verified between the photophysical, thermal and electrical behavior from copolymers and substituted thiophene content. The synthesized polymeric materials were applied as active layer in PLEDs and PSCs. Regarding PLEDs, it was verified a low luminance and light emission in the range of orange and green colors. Furthermore, different effects, related to the substituted thiophene concentration and photovoltaic properties, were identified from mounted PSCs.

As células solares poliméricas (PSCs) e diodos emissores de luz poliméricos (PLEDs) destacam-se dos seus análogos inorgânicos pela possibilidade de reduzir custo de fabricação, obtenção de dispositivos mais leves e flexíveis, maior liberdade no design e menor tempo de produção de dispositivos, devido à sua maior facilidade de processamento. Neste trabalho foram investigadas as mudanças nas propriedades fotofísicas, eletroquímicas e elétricas do poli[2,7-(9,9-dioctilfluoreno)-alt-4,7-bis(2,5-tiofeno)-2,1,3-benzotiadiazol] (PDBT) e seus derivados contendo grupos substituintes hexila no anel tiofeno. Este polímero conjugado é conhecido por seu potencial para aplicações em PSCs. Para tanto, três copolímeros, contendo diferentes concentrações de mero tiofeno substituído, foram sintetizados via reação de acoplamento de Suzuki. Usando técnicas adequadas, foram verificadas correlações entre o comportamento fotofísico, térmico e elétrico dos copolímeros e o teor de tiofeno substituído. Os materiais poliméricos sintetizados foram aplicados como camada ativa em PLEDs e PSCs. Em relação aos PLEDs, foi verificada baixa luminância e emissão de luz na faixa da cor laranja e cor verde. Além disso, diferentes efeitos, relacionados com a concentração de tiofeno substituído e as propriedades fotovoltaicas, foram identificados nas PSCs montadas. / Polymer Solar cells (PSCs) and polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) draw attention from their inorganic analogues for the possibility of manufacturing cost reduction, more light and flexible devices, as well as the greater design freedom and shorter production time devices due to its easier processing. In this work, we investigated the changes in the photophysical, electrochemical and electrical properties from poly[2,7-(9,9-dioctylfluorene)-alt-4,7-bis(2,5-thiophene)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole] (PDBT) that was caused by hexyl substituents introduction on the copolymer thiophene rings. This conjugated polymer system is known for its PSCs applications potential. Therefore, three copolymers, with different concentrations of substituted thiophene mere, were synthesized by Suzuki polycondensation. Using appropriate techniques, direct relationships were verified between the photophysical, thermal and electrical behavior from copolymers and substituted thiophene content. The synthesized polymeric materials were applied as active layer in PLEDs and PSCs. Regarding PLEDs, it was verified a low luminance and light emission in the range of orange and green colors. Furthermore, different effects, related to the substituted thiophene concentration and photovoltaic properties, were identified from mounted PSCs.

Le couplage covalent de précurseurs moléculaires spécialement conçus, assisté par une surface métallique, a récemment émergé comme nouvelle voie pour la création de nouvelles architectures moléculaires prometteuses pour l’électronique moléculaire. Les phtalocyanines et leurs dérivés ont attiré beaucoup d’intérêt à cause de leurs propriétés chimiques et optoélectroniques. Dans cette thèse la synthèse de composés de phtalocyanine est présentée. Les composés sont obtenus par une réaction en surface entre précurseurs fonctionnalisés avec quatre groupements carbonitriles et des atomes métalliques. L’étude expérimentale est faite par microscopie à effet tunnel et spectroscopie de photoémission X. Les précurseurs moléculaires de TCN-DBTTF et de PPCN ont été étudiés. Les TCN-DBTTF ont été déposés avec les atomes de Mn, Fe ou Cu sur Ag(111) et Au(111). La réaction de cyclotetramerization a été activée par recuits. Dans le cas le plus favorable (TCN-DBTTF avec Fe sur Ag(111)), la réaction peut être activée à 200°C et permet la synthèse de phtalocyanines individuelles. Un recuit à plus haute température permet de continuer la réaction en 1D (250°C) et en 2D (275°C). Des résultats similaires ont été obtenus pour le dépôt de PPCN avec Mn ou Cu sur Au(111). L’évolution des spectres des niveaux de coeur permet d’obtenir une preuve de la réaction. Les différents facteurs qui influencent la cyclotetramerisation ont été étudiés.L'étude démontre la versatilité de la méthode: la synthèse en surface permet la création de polymères 2D originaux connectés par des macrocycles de phtalocyanine susceptibles d’être étendus à un grand nombre de précurseurs et d’atomes métalliques. / Surface-assisted covalent coupling of suitably designed molecular precursors on metal surfaces has recently emerged as a new route towards the design of novel molecular architectures promising for future applications. Phthalocyanines and their derivatives have been widely studied for their chemical and optoelectronic properties. In this thesis the synthesis of phthalocyanine compounds is presented. The compounds are obtained through an on-surface reaction between tetracarbonitrile-functionalized precursors and metals. The experimental investigation is carried out by means of scanning tunnelling microscopy and X-Ray photoemission spectroscopy. Two molecular precursors, TCN-DBTTF and PPCN, are studied. TCN-DBTTF molecules are deposited with metal atoms (Mn, Fe, or Cu) on Ag(111) and Au(111). Annealing is used to activate the reaction of cyclotetramerization between precursors and metals. In the most favourable case (TCN-DBTTF with Fe on Ag(111)) the reaction can be activated at 200°C and leads to the synthesis of individual phthalocyanines. Increasing the temperature allows the synthesis of polymeric lines, at 250°C, and small 2D domains, at 275°C. Similar results are obtained for PPCN deposition with Mn or Cu on Au(111). In this latter case, the evolution of core level spectra allows a chemical proof of the on-surface reaction. The factors affecting on-surface cyclotetramerization have also been studied. This study demonstrates the versatility of the method: on-surface cyclotetramerization allows creating original 2D polymers connected by phthalocyanine macrocycles, and may work with a wide range of tetracarbonitrile-functionalized precursors and metallic atoms.

Label-free detection of DNA has been successfully demonstrated on field effect transistor (FET) based devices. Since conducting organic materials was discovered and have attracted more and more research efforts by their profound advantages, this work will focus on utilizing an organic field effect transistor (OFET) as DNA sensor. An OFET constructed with a transporting fluidic channel, WetOFET, forms a fluid-polymer (active layer) interface where the probe DNA can be introduced. DNA hybridization and non-hybridization after injecting target DNA and non-target DNA were monitored by transistor characteristics. The Hysteresis area of transfer curve increased after DNA hybridization which may be caused by the increasing electrostatic screening induced by the increasing negative charge from target DNA. The different morphology of coating surface could also influence the OFET response.