Completion Date
1-2022
Advisor(s)
Shanju Zhang
Abstract
Our project documented, in extensive detail, the liquid crystalline (LC) assembly pathway from solution to solid state in the supramolecular complexes of the mixed ionic-electronic conducting polymers (MIECPs) prepared from carboxylated poly(3-alkylthiophene) and ionic liquid surfactant. Using UV-visible spectroscopy we have shown that the complexation is accompanied by the surfactochromism showing colorimetric response and conformational transitions as a function of the IL surfactant mole ratio. Additionally, we have demonstrated via Polarized Optical Microscopy (POM), that the equimolar solution exhibits rodlike conformation and its hydrogel spontaneously forms a 2D smectic LC mesophase with a lamellar periodicity. Defect-free LC domains were produced by a method of mechanical shearing, and uniform LC alignment was retained in the solid- state film that possesses a unidirecXonal electronic transport channel along the conjugatedbackbone and ionic transport channel along IL moieties in the smectic layer, leading to the high anisotropy in electronic conductivities and ionic conductivities. The system demonstrated high mixed-conduction with electronic conductivities on the order of 10-3 S/m and ionic conductivities on the order of 10-4 S/m at ambient temperature. This project has produced significant results of broad merit, as the supramolecular LC design and the LC assembly pathway from solution to solid state in this work would provide useful methodologies for construction of film morphologies and structures in MIECPs that can simultaneously achieve fast electronic and ionic transport. Hence, the conclusions of this project will allow for the production of high-performance electrochemical devices.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/bkendowments/112
Copyright
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
