Studies about the synthesis and application of pyrrolopyrrole MOFs in organic electronic devices

• Grant number: 22/01566-7
• Support type: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Effective date (Start): October 01, 2022
• Effective date (End): September 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Organic Chemistry
• Principal researcher: Luiz Carlos da Silva Filho
• Grantee: Luiz Carlos da Silva Filho
• Host: Mircea Dinca
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Ciências (FC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil
• Research place: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States

Abstract

The development of organic electronic devices has received great interest of the scientific community worldwide, because those devices present low cost and good efficiency for converting solar energy into electrical energy, amplification of electrical signals, among others. About the main applications of organic compounds in electronic devices one can mention: organic solar cells (OSCs), organic light emitting devices (OLEDs), organic field effect transistors (OFETs), flexible displays, radio frequency identification cards (RFIDs), textile electronics and sensing. The development of new materials for energy storage and conversion is urgent and necessary to achieve carbon economy and sustainable development. Among these new materials the Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs), a class of porous materials, have gained great attention from researchers recently for their use in energy storage and conversion systems, due to their large surface areas and the possibility of controlled synthesis of the structures, through easy modification of the structures of organic ligands and metal ions, providing control of the pore size. MOFs when applied to perovskite solar cells (PSC) promote an improvement in device stability and increase conversion efficiency, mainly due to the high chemical and thermal stability and high hydrophobicity. In this way, synthetic organic chemistry emerges as an excellent tool for the development of new ligands, that provide improvement in charge transport and the photophysical properties of MOFs and devices, also enabling, through structural modifications the improvement of organic ligands already in use. Therefore, in this research project, we propose to carry out a study to obtain different organic ligands derived from tetra-aryl-1,4-dihydropyrrol[3,2-b]pyrrole, that present in their structures acid groups, o-diols, o-diamines and o-thiols. These groups favor the conjugation of the p electrons of the organic ligand with the metal atom, increasing the charge density and improving the electrical conductivity of the MOFs. After the synthesis and characterization of the ligands, they will be used in the synthesis of MOFs using different metal atoms, such as: Iron, Zinc, Nickel, and Copper. The nature of the metal ion directly influences the charge transport and charge density in Metal Organic Frameworks and is fundamental for systematic improvements in the electrical conductivity of these materials. The synthesized MOFs will have their chemical, physical and structural properties characterized, as well as their electrical conductivity. The MOFs that present the best physical, chemical and electrical characteristics will be used, in the form of thin films, for the confection of Perovskite Solar Cells, verifying in detail the effect provided by the inclusion of MOFs in the efficiency and stability of the PSC.