Jihua Chen
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA
Title: Polymer incorporated crystalline complexes for ionics and electronics
Biography
Biography: Jihua Chen
Abstract
Crystalline complexes containing polymeric components are found in some of the most amazing materials that exist in nature. For example, spider silk has extruded protein based nanocrystals in an elastic matrix. Calcium carbonate crystals guided in nanoconfinement with natural polymer template contribute to the fine appearance of a pearl and toughness of a shell. Efforts are underway to transfer some of that knowledge to the field of organic electronics and solid state ionics. Herein we present three case studies in light of experimental techniques including low dose transmission electron microscopy and electrical measurements. In the first case, polymer electrolytes with mitigated crystal growth and increased charge hopping provide enhanced ion transport. In the second example, additive guided organic semiconductor growth leads to optimized grain structures and crystal formation for thin film transistors. Finally, progress has been made in polymer-salt complexes in order to achieve enhanced performance for energy storage applications.