Study of fullerene derivatives and polythiophenes as gas sensors

• Grant number: 22/16723-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: November 01, 2023
• End date: October 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Clarissa de Almeida Olivati
• Grantee: André Vítor Santos Simõis
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Presidente Prudente. Presidente Prudente , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Fullerenes and polythiophenes are widely used materials in the area of organic electronics, due to their electronic properties. Polythiophene derivatives have a high electrical conductivity and great chemical stability, while fulerenes are excellent electron acceptors, being able to reversibly accept up to six electrons from donors. The properties of these materials offer them great potential for application in the area of gas sensors, devices widely used as security means to detect the presence of toxic compounds in the atmosphere. The materials will be studied in the form of thin films, produced by Langmuir-Schaefer (LS) and drop casting techniques and their characterization will be carried out through UV-vis absorption measurements, for their optical characterization and perfilometry, AFM and optical microscopy, to its morphological characterization. The electrical characterization will be performed in direct and alternating current, in order to determine the electrical conductivity and impedance of the films. The characterization of the films as gas sensors will be done through current versus time curves, where the samples will be exposed to the gases, in order to verify variations on the electrical response, caused by the analyte. (AU)