Zachariah Page
Title:
Synthesis of Soft Materials for Energy Harvesting and Conservation
Electronically active polymers are valuable components of organic solar cells and light emitting diodes due to their (opto)electronic properties, processability, and mechanical flexibility. This talk will showcase the development of two new synthetic polymer-based platforms for: 1) high performance organic solar cells using hydrophilic conjugated materials, and 2) solution processable light emitting diodes composed of emissive surface-bound pixels. In the first topic, interactions between pendent dipoles of conjugated polymer zwitterions and metal surfaces are tailored to dramatically improve light-to-electricity conversion. The second portion of this talk focuses on the use of multipurpose phosphorescent compounds that initially serve as photocatalysts to facilitate polymer growth from a surface, and subsequently act as dopants to enhance light output for low-energy displays. Each of these platforms pave the way for next-generation energy harvesting and conservation through tailored polymer chemistry to address various technical challenges in the area of soft materials for electronics.
Bio:
Zachariah Page was born in Rochester, NY, and obtained his B.S. in chemistry at Juniata College in 2010. During his senior year, he spent three months abroad at the University of Cambridge, UK, working on the synthesis of novel conjugated polyelectrolytes under the advisement of Prof. Wilhelm Huck. Zak then carried out his Ph.D. studies in the laboratories of Prof. Todd Emrick at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where his doctoral research focused on the synthesis and characterization of novel conjugated polymer zwitterions, and their integration into organic solar cells. In 2015, he began his postdoctoral research with Prof. Craig J. Hawker at the University of California Santa Barbara, studying photochemical transformations in the areas of organic electronics and 3D printing.