Marcus Vespa

Topic

Using Living Crystallization-Driven Self-Assembly to Form Functional π-Conjugated Nanostructures for Potential Optoelectronic Device Applications

Department of Chemistry

Date & location

• Monday, June 17, 2024
• 2:00 P.M.
• Elliott Building, Room 226

Examining Committee

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. David Leitch, Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria (Supervisor)
• Dr. Scott McIndoe, Department of Chemistry, UVic (Member)
• Dr. Arthur Blackburn, Department of Physics and Astronomy, UVic (Outside Member)

External Examiner

• Dr. Dwight Seferos, Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto

Chair of Oral Examination

• Prof. Ajtony Csaba, School of Music, UVic

Abstract

At the micro- and nanoscale, mimicking the level of complex organization observed in nature is difficult, and reproduction of these materials has been a key challenge in the fields of materials science and synthetic chemistry. Solution self-assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers (BCPs) is a promising route towards the construction of nanoscale assemblies with various sizes, morphologies, and material properties. Living crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) of polymers with a crystallizable core-forming block has emerged as a valuable method to exert control over the dimensions of one- and two-dimensional (1D and 2D) nanostructures. This method reliably produces nanostructures with predictable sizes and low size distributions.

Due to the variety of BCPs capable of crystallization, a wide array of hierarchically organized nanostructures have been fabricated which show promising potential for application to a broad assortment of fields such as optoelectronics, biomedicine and catalysis. The work presented in this thesis focuses on expanding the library of materials known to be compatible with living CDSA by introducing a new crystallizable π-conjugated core-forming block. This work also seeks to extend controlled self-assembly techniques in systems where precise nanoscale control is highly sought-after and deepen our understanding of the processes that govern π-conjugated block copolymer self-assembly by establishing structure-property relationships; the practical realization of which are all key goals in modern energy, materials, and nanoscience research.