Chemical Synthesis and Materials Discovery

Functional materials impact every area of our lives ranging from electronic and computing devices to transportation and health. In this Perspective, we examine the relationship between synthetic discoveries and the scientific breakthroughs that they have enabled. By tracing the development of some important examples, we explore how and why the materials were initially synthesized and how their utility was subsequently recognised. Three common pathways to materials breakthroughs are identified. In a small number of cases, such as the aluminosilicate zeolite catalyst ZSM-5, an important advance is made by using design principles based upon earlier work. There are also rare cases of breakthroughs that are serendipitous, such as the buckyball and Teflon(R). Most commonly, however, the breakthrough repurposes a compound that is already known and was often made out of curiosity or for a different application. Typically, the synthetic discovery precedes the discovery of functionality by many decades; key examples include conducting polymers, topological insulators and electrodes for lithium-ion batteries.Comment: 15 pages, two figure

Well-defined donor-acceptor rod-coil diblock copolymers based on P3HT containing C-60: the morphology and role as a surfactant in bulk-heterojunction solar cells

The synthesis of well-defined rod-coil block copolymers consisting of P3HT donor and C-60 acceptor chromophores (P3HT-b-P(S(x)A(y))-C-60) in a molecular architecture is reported for use in bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells. In thin films of the resulting block copolymer, reproducible self-assembly into well-defined "nanofibrils'' is observed. This is the first example of a block copolymer containing a C-60 derivative that shows exclusively a nanofibrilar structure. We have investigated the potential utility of the block copolymer as a "surfactant'' for controlling the interface morphology of the P3HT: PCBM donor-acceptor phase domains within the composite. We find a substantial improvement in device performance when 5% of block copolymer are introduced to the P3HT: PCBM blend system, resulting in ca. 35% improved efficiency relative to the P3HT: PCBM solar cell fabricated without the "surfactant''.close13212