Design of Polymeric Zwitterionic Solid Electrolytes with Superionic Lithium Transport

ACS Central Science · 2022 · 134 citations

• Materials science
• Chemical engineering
• Nanotechnology

≈ 0.6-0.8). This new design paradigm for SPEs allows for simultaneous optimization of previously orthogonal properties, including conductivity, Li selectivity, mechanics, and processability.

New Approaches to EUV Photoresists: Studies of Polyacetals and Polypeptoids to Expand the Photopolymer Toolbox

Journal of Photopolymer Science and Technology · 2021 · 14 citations

• Materials science
• Nanotechnology
• Optoelectronics

Low stochastics, high sensitivity photoresists remain a goal for EUV lithography. Here we present studies of two polymer systems that attempt to make improvements to these resist characteristics using two different chemical approaches. In one system we work on scissionable poly(phthalaldehyde) modified to enable incorporation of photoactive units on each repeat unit of the polymer chain. In a second system we explore peptoid polymers that possess identical molecular size and composition with much higher molecular uniformity than possible by conventional synthetic techniques. We report the results of exposure of these materials to EUV exposures and the chemical changes that occur.

Where Biology and Traditional Polymers Meet: The Potential of Associating Sequence-Defined Polymers for Materials Science

JACS Au · 2021 · 123 citations

• Computer Science
• Nanotechnology
• Computer Science

Polymers with precisely defined monomeric sequences present an exquisite tool for controlling material properties by harnessing both the robustness of synthetic polymers and the ability to tailor the inter- and intramolecular interactions so crucial to many biological materials. While polymer scientists traditionally synthesized and studied the physics of long molecules best described by their statistical nature, many biological polymers derive their highly tailored functions from precisely controlled sequences. Therefore, significant effort has been applied toward developing new methods of synthesizing, characterizing, and understanding the physics of non-natural sequence-defined polymers. This perspective considers the synergistic advantages that can be achieved via tailoring both precise sequence control and attributes of traditional polymers in a single system. Here, we focus on the potential of sequence-defined polymers in highly associating systems, with a focus on the unique properties, such as enhanced proton conductivity, that can be attained by incorporating sequence. In particular, we examine these materials as key model systems for studying previously unresolvable questions in polymer physics including the role of chain shape near interfaces and how to tailor compatibilization between dissimilar polymer blocks. Finally, we discuss the critical challenges-in particular, truly scalable synthetic approaches, characterization and modeling tools, and robust control and understanding of assembly pathways-that must be overcome for sequence-defined polymers to attain their potential and achieve ubiquity.