New Transition and Lanthanide Metals-based Hybrid Materials for Opto-Electronic (O-E) Applications

Oman has 0.3% of the world s crude oil reserve, which has started to decline from 2015. This is a matter of serious concern because the energy demand for the rapidly developing Omani society is increasing exponentially. Hence an alternative and sustainable energy research is of strategic importance to the Sultanate. Fortunately, Oman with its plentiful sunshine has an ideal environment for solar energy research. Solar energy has emerged as a potential non-contaminating energy source and is the first choice of every researcher in the energy sector. Researchers are working worldwide for the development of solar cell (SC), a device for the conversion of sunlight to electrical energy efficiently. Another strategy to save the much needed energy is to use organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) instead of high-energy consuming devices. The main thrust of this strategic project is the design and development of new metal-organic hybrid materials for applications in (i) SCs to generate electricity from the sun light, and (ii) OLEDs to save the generated energy. The project will deal with the development of reliable synthetic protocol for new hybrid materials consisting of andpi;-conjugated organic framework incorporating transition and lanthanide metal ions for opto-electronic (O-E) applications. Past two decades have witnessed a large volume of research on andpi;-conjugated organic materials incorporating a variety of spacers and transition metal ions. The performance of such materials-based SCs depends upon their absorption profile, band-gap, triplet excitons, charge transfer and other factors. The organic framework determines the absorption profile and the band-gap while the metal ion plays a synergistic effect on the photo-physical properties. Metal ion also provides a redox and paramagnetic center to generate active species for charge transport and increases the conductivity of the organic materials. Overall, the metal-organic hybrid materials possess improved materails properties for application in O-E devices. The proposed project will address the following key areas: (i) development of a synthetic protocol for a series of acetylide-functionalized pyridine ligands incorporating conjugated carbocyclic/heterocyclic spacers and their Cu(I) halide based self-assembled materials, (ii) synthesis of andldquo;conformationally lockedandrdquo; acetylide-functionalized bipyridine-based Cu(I) halide clusters, (iii) synthesis of new andbeta;-diketone ligands and their Ln(III) complexes containing varying ancillary ligands (iv) chemical, electro-chemical and structural characterization of the newly synthesized materials, (v) study the structural, electronic and optical properties of the new materials and the structure-property relationships, (vi) fabricate SCs using the Cu(I) clusters and OLEDs using the Ln(III) complexes and assess the device performance. The project will develop scientific and research skills and expertise in the Sultanate. This will be achieved by providing training to the graduate students, technical staffs, research assistants, young faculty and developing laboratory facilities in the department of Chemistry at SQU. Successful implementation of the project will establish SQU as a research hub in OLED and solar energy materials and the developed scientific knowledge will boost Oman s energy sector and the economy. An attempt will be made to establish new research collaborations and strengthen ongoing collaborations with leading institutions in Europe. It will also enhance SQU s standing and ranking in research internationally by disseminating research findings in high impact international journals and in major international conferences.