Polymeric Ionic Liquid: Micro-segregated Polymers as Gating Materials

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Wolfgang Binder
• Subject Area: Preparatory and Physical Chemistry of Polymers ; Physical Chemistry of Solids and Surfaces, Material Characterisation
• Term: from 2020 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 441024097

A newly emerging field of application has described the use of low molecular weight ionic liquids as a dielectric gating interface within functional FET devices. In such devices, a thin layer of an ionic liquid is placed on top of the gate: this often very thin layer (usually in the range of ~ tens of nanometers (nm)) of an ionic liquid significantly alters the gating properties of an FET, leading to substantially improved switching of the gate, thus considerably accelerating the charge transport properties within the FET (due to the formation of an electric double layer (ELD)). The overall goal of this project is the generation of polymeric ionic liquids (POILs) and ion gels with embedded nanoscopic domains to address the design of conductive nanoconfined "IL-droplets" for use as gated dielectrics in FETs. Understanding of the complex interplay between the structure and properties (e.g. overall conductivity) and the morphology of ionic liquid- based materials will be obtained. Further, an intensive study of the interaction mechanism stability and reversibility of the processes involved in ionic liquid- gating processes on inorganic substrates should enable the profound evaluation on applicability of these polymeric materials for gating in FETs. The aim is to select an appropriate ionic liquid- based polymeric material capable to generate a nanoscopic pattern in the underlying metal-oxide.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants