Abstract

Angela Harper – Laser Printed Organic Electronics

Organic electronics are at the forefront of the industry for large-area, low-cost flexible electronic applications, and provide an opportunity to incorporate electronics in non-traditional areas such as clothing, electronic paper, bio-integrated applications, and more. While several organic semiconductors have shown excellent electrical properties in single crystal form, reproducing these characteristics using low-complexity manufacturing processes has proven challenging. To confront this challenge, in this work we explored two alternative methods for device fabrication that offer low-cost processability, compatibility with flexible substrates, and yield good device performance. The first method uses a laser printer for electrophotographic deposition of the organic semiconductor layer. The second method, Graphite Aerosol Spray Lithography, employs laser printing for contact definition and uses a graphite aerosol to spray the electrodes. These methods offer insight into environmentally friendly and cost-effective processing for organic devices with an established technology such as the laser printer.

Chris Balzer – Metal-Organic Framework – Polymer Nanofiber Composites for Gas Separation

Polymer membranes have shown potential for widespread use in gas separation due to their low cost and ease of processing. However, the trade off between selectivity and permeability in a pure polymer membrane reduces their economic viability. Inclusion of adsorbent materials, such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), into the polymer matrix has been shown to improve membrane performance. New challenges arise in creating MOF /polymer composites, namely particle dispersion within the matrix. Polymer/MOF composite fibers can solve some of these challenges and can be a platform to branch out beyond gas separation.