Semiconducting Polymers: A Journey from Scientific Curiosity to Technology Commercialization

Join Zoom Meeting: https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/93857631004

Bio: Jianguo Mei is an Associate Professor of Organic Chemistry at Purdue University. His areas of expertise include the design and synthesis of organic polymers, particularly semiconducting polymers, as well as their applications in organic electronics and electrochemical devices. He received the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award (ONR YIP, 2016), NSF Career Award (2017), ACS Division of Organic Chemistry (DOC) Academic Young Investigator Award (2019), and ACS Polymeric Materials Science and Engineering Young Investigator Award (2020). He is a co-founder of Ambilight Inc, which commercializes thin film electrochromics for smart windows.   

Abstract: Semiconducting polymers are carbon-rich materials with semiconductor properties. They can absorb and emit light, transport ion/electron currents, as well as undergo redox reactions. Thus, they have been found in organic solar cells, light-emitting diodes, field-effect transistors, and many other optoelectronic devices. In this 30 min's talk, I will briefly introduce our latest progress in melt-processable semiconductors, high-temperature semiconductors, photoacoustic imaging probes, biosensing, and the commercialization of R2R processed large scale thin film organic electrochromics. I will then emphasize the remaining problems and challenges we face and look for collaboration opportunities within the Birck community.