Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Energy is increasingly expensive and a "do more for less" approach is already used in a variety of devices based on lightweight, flexible, low power technology, including organic light emitting diodes in screen displays and low cost organic solar cells for light-harvesting. The use of organic components in modern devices arises from their flexibility and cheap processing, alongside an ability to tailor their properties through chemical modification. Despite considerable advances, there are many fundamental challenges still to be met in the field of solid-state organic electronics. For crystalline organic solids, the solid-state architecture ultimately dictates their function. Yet controlling the arrangement of molecules in the solid state continues to be a major challenge, determined by a set of rather weak interactions between molecules. The identification of more robust interactions, so-called "supramolecular synthons", has the potential to lead to new materials programmed to configure molecules in specific arrangements in which their properties are optimized. Our research focuses on a family of organic molecules with potentially important electronic (semiconducting, optical and magnetic) properties. Our long-term objectives are to identify and implement strong supramolecular interactions within this family of organic molecules to control their solid-state structures and optimize their properties. In the current proposal, we aim to: a)Identify and implement robust interactions between different molecules which can be used to prepare `co-crystals' in which each molecule brings different behavior (light addressable, magnetic, conducting). We will then explore the interplay between the behavior of each component in the new composite material. b)Develop multi-functional molecules in which optical and electronic properties are installed into the same molecule. We will then investigate independent or cooperative behavior between the components. c)Prepare a new family of electronically addressable molecules known as "non-innocent ligands" which can bind to metals. We will examine the magnetic interplay between the ligand and the metal and investigate how this can be optically addressed. This fundamental research will identify approaches to address contemporary challenges in molecular materials science, lead to the fabrication and testing of prototype devices, while simultaneously training high caliber scientists who can contribute to the Canadian workforce.