Chemical Society Seminar: Antonio Facchetti - Unconventional semiconductors and processes for flexible, stretchable and wearable electronics

Abstract:

In this presentation we report the development of novel materials, as well as thin-film processing and morphology engineering, for flexible and stretchable organic and inorganic electronic devices such as thin film transistors, electrolyte gated transistors and circuits. On material development, we present “soft” small-molecules and polymers by co-polymerizing pi-deconjugated building blocks or properly designed additives. Furthermore, we also report the fabrication of stretchable inorganic metal oxide fiber network by spry coating metal salts+thermally labile polymer formulations. New transistor architectures using semiconductor film porosity as the key element for enhancing mechanical flexibility and tune charge transport are also demonstrated. These films, combined with elastomeric pre-stretching, enable unprecedentedly stable current-output characteristic upon mechanical deformation, which are used for sensing analytes, strain, light, temperature and physiological parameters. Finally, we report our recent work on molecular n-doping of organic semiconductors using a novel strategy involving catalysts.

Bio:

Antonio Facchetti is a Hightower Chair in MSE at the Georgia Institute of Technology, co-founder and the Chief Technology Officer of Flexterra Corporation, an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern University, and a Guest Professor at Linkoping University. He has published more than 560 research articles, 15 book chapters, and holds more than 120 patents. He received the ACS Award for Creative Invention, the Giulio Natta Gold Medal of the Italian Chemical Society, the team IDTechEx Printed Electronics Europe Award, the corporate Flextech Award. He is a Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Inventors, MRS, AAAS, PMSE, Kavli, and RSC.