Solidification Kinetics of Conjugated Polymers
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Singhal, Anush
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Abstract
A comparison between conjugated and flexible-chain polymers is subsequently provided, focusing on their solidification kinetics examined via their thermal transitions. Structure-property relationships of semiconducting polymers are established using fast scanning calorimetry. The field of polymer-based electronics has witnessed major developments in the past few years that have led to systems of vastly improved charge transport- and energy-harvesting properties. This progress can be predominantly attributed to synthetic efforts in the form of the creation of new materials, which often comprise backbones of a significantly more rigid nature than the first-generation polymer semiconductors and most bulk commodity plastics. Moreover, many semiconducting polymers frequently lack significant long-range order, but it is hypothesized that they may exhibit liquid-crystalline-like behavior because of their hairy-rod nature. To understand the polymer phase behavior, how it relates to chemical design and how it dictates important optoelectronic features, we use fast scanning calorimetry to identify the glass transition and possible liquid-crystalline-like transitions, as well as side-chain softening regimes, using physical aging signatures and isothermal annealing measurements.
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Undergraduate Research Option Thesis