DMREF: Collaborative Research: Achieving Multicomponent Active Materials Through Synergistic Combinatorial, Informatics-Enabled Materials Discovery

Solution-processed organic electronics are moving rapidly toward commercialization. However, satisfying both the functional and economic requirements of target applications and the constraints of printing processes requires increasingly complex solution formulations. In organic field effect transistors, dilution of the active semiconducting polymer in an insulating matrix is recognized as a promising avenue of exploration for both functional and economic reasons. Given the persistent expense of commercial conjugated polymers, blending them with mass-produced industrial polymers generates lucrative cost reductions at the raw materials level. This proposal will combine gradient thin films and experimental characterization, materials informatics and modeling to enable the requisite control required to fabricate new polymer blend films that exhibit enhanced and robust levels of performance with the precisions needed for advanced applications.