Conjugated Organometallic and Organic Polymers for Light-Emitting Devices and Solar Cells

Oman, with its plentiful sunshine has an ideal environment for solar energy applications. The main thrust of the project is to develop new conjugated polymers for converting solar energy into electricity efficiently. Photovoltaic electricity now represents an appealing solution for our growing need for energy. Conjugated polymer solar cells are viewed as one of the most promising candidates for low-cost solar cells. This research will promote the establishment of cost-effective solar cell manufacturing in the country. Solar cells present not only a viable alternative to non-renewable fossil fuels but will also provide clean energy, thus protecting the environment. This is a multi-disciplinary project involving the following key areas: (i) Synthesis of Donor-Acceptor type conjugated Pt(II) poly-ynes and organic poly-ynes (PAEs) incorporating thienopyrazine-based spacers for light-emitting devices and solar cells, (ii) Fabrication of efficient solar cells by mechanical blending of perylene dye crystals and Pt(II) poly-ynes PAEs incorporating thienopyrazine-based spacers, (iii) Covalent attachment of a fullerene (C60) derivative to Pt(II) poly-yne and use the hybrid material for the construction of efficient solar cells, (iv) Development of Pt(II) poly-ynes, PAEs and bis(ferrocenylethynyl) complexes incorporating azobenzene spacers for photo-switches and (v) Synthesis of multi-ferrocenylethynylpyridyl copper complexes for opto-electronic and multi-ferroelectric materials. The ultimate goal is to develop new materials for photovoltaic devices and enhance the efficiency of the devices for light-to-electricity conversion. The new materials will be characterized by diverse physico-chemical techniques (IR, UV-Vis, high-field multi-nuclear NMR, Raman, Mandouml;ssbauer spectroscopy, SEM, EDX, etc.) and photo-physical measurements (UV-Vis absorption, photoluminescence and lifetime of excited states, electroluminescence, current-voltage characteristics, complex impedances, etc.). Structure of selected organometallic and organic model compounds will be determined so that structure-property relationships will be ascertained. Electrochemistry of the molecules will enable the assessment of electronic communication between the metals centers. The research will also be underpinned by DFT calculations on key compounds in order to understand the relation between the energy levels of singlet and triplet excited states and the nature of the spacer groups.