The advantages of such organic devices over current inorganic technology include greater flexibility, lower cost, compatibility with plastic, synthetic tailorability, and easier processability. In addition to synthesis of novel oligomers and polymers, we prepare thin-film devices and characterize the material properties, including an in-house vacuum chamber for accurately measuring semiconducting and conducting properties. Solid-state characterization using techniques such as x-ray crystal structures and x-ray diffraction of deposited films also addresses important questions regarding molecular packing and film quality.

Besides widely-used thin-film deposition techniques such as spin-coating and sublimation, we utilize our own method of self-assembly, in which the functionalized systems assemble directly onto the substrate. These methods prepare nanometer-thick self-assembled mono- and multilayers of dielectrics used in transistors as well as semiconducting and conducting layers.

Finally, we are addressing fundamental questions of electronic structure, optical properties and charge-transport mechanism in these materials through combined synthetic and theoretical research in collaboration with Prof. Ratner. This research produces new design rules for next-generation high-performance organic electronic materials.