Greg Sotzing

Keynote: Polymer Design at Both Conductivity Extremes: High Temperature Polymer Dielectrics for Power and Conductive Polymers for Wearable Electronics

Abstract

Extreme conditions and demands continue to be placed on polymeric materials design whether it be for insulators or for conductors.  This presentation will address rational polymer design for dielectrics to be applied in power electronics applications such as the rail gun, electromagnetic launch systems, and future systems such as hybrid electric propulsion where pure polymers would need to exhibit high energy density along with low loss across a very broad temperature range.  The use of computations as well as machine-based learning (ML) have led to advancements in the engineering of polymers to operate at temperatures above 150°C.   We have tested half a dozen polynorbornylenes with one representative example tested at 200°C at a field of 400 MV/m with >90% efficiency at an energy density of 9 J/cm3.  Alicyclics make for excellent rigid units leading to high bandgaps, and the lack of conjugation within these systems allows for better rotatability of bonds within the polymer backbone allowing for dipoles to align and relax across a very broad temperature range of -150°C to 200°C.  Not unlike insulating polymers, demands on conductive polymers continue to be pushed especially in the field of wearable electronics where these polymers need to exhibit thermal and oxidative stability while also having the ability to be flexed and stretched.  Our chemical attachment and phase segregation of PEDOT-PSS on fiber has allowed for us to show many different types of sensors, including wearable radar operating at the WiFi frequency.  Comparisons between a PEDOT-PSS/polyethylene terephthalate nonwoven fabric patch antenna are compared to a copper antenna at ca. 2.5 GHz.  Further, we have demonstrated these polymers on synthetic fabrics as wearable displays exhibiting color change functionality.

About the Speaker

BS Mary Washington College, PhD University of Florida with Prof. John Reynolds, Postdoc Caltech with Prof. Robert H. Grubbs and Prof. Nathan S. Lewis.  Currently Full Professor at University of Connecticut, Department of Chemistry and Polymer Program.  2004 NSF CAREER recipient, 2014 Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, 2017 National Academy of Inventors.  Has held ~ 20 contracts with industry including Air Products and Chemicals, Samsung, Kraft Foods, Sekisui Chemical & Sekisui Integrated Research, Kuraray, Victoria’s Secret, New Balance, etc. as well as sponsored research projects with Air Force Research Labs, Office of Naval Research through their multi-disciplinary research initiatives and regular grants, and Army.   Successful commercialization in conductive polymers, polythieno[3,4-b]thiophene compositions of matter, with patents selling to Samsung Electronics.