Physics Colloquium - Friday, Nov. 1, 4:30, PSB 161

Dr. Andre J. Gesquiere

University of Central Florida

Conjugated Polymer Nanostructured Materials for Device and Biophotonics Applications

     The application of composite conjugated polymer nanostrcutured materials will be discussed in view of applications in nanotechnology enabled optoelectronic devices and biophotonics.

     Integration of nanoscale objects fabricated from conducting polymers in devices, and control of nanoscale morphology of conducting polymer materials in devices are productive ways of developing efficient plastic optoelectronic devices with precisely controlled properties.  In this colloquium, the importance of molecular architecture and polymer chain morphology with respect to conducting polymer nanostructure formation and nanoscale properties and will be addressed first. Second, data on conducting polymer nanoparticle devices enabling memory functions via optical programming and electrical erasing will be discussed. These findings open the door for novel approaches to understanding charge-storage mechanism on the nanometer scale and future applications of composite conjugated polymer nanoparticles in nanoscale memory and photoresponsive devices. Third, recent work on organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices built on Near-Infrared (NIR) photoresponse sensitization of solvent additive processed poly(3-hexylthiophene)/fullerene solar cells by a low band gap polymer will be highlighted. The combination of a NIR absorbing conducting polymer and processing with solvent additive results in a ternary blended OPV device with controlled active layer morphology for optimal function across the visible and NIR spectrum. The data indicate that with the proper control of the morphology of ternary blended materials, NIR absorbing conjugated polymers can be effectively used to efficiently extend the photon capture range of polymer solar cells in an alternative fashion compared to tandem solar cells. 

            The fabrication and study of composite conjugated polymer nanoparticles for application in biophotonics will be discussed as a second direction of research on nanoscale objects fabricated from conducting polymers.  The focus will be on bioimaging and photodynamic therapy (PDT) applications. The PDT scheme was tested in-vitro for MDA-MB-231 (human breast cancer), A549 (human lung cancer), and OVCAR3 (human ovarian cancer) cell lines. While the treatment was observed to be only marginally effective for the MDA-MB-231 cell line, 60% and complete cell death was observed for the A549 and OVCAR3 cell lines, respectively. Through live/dead cell staining apoptotic cell death was observed for OVCAR3. This is a promising finding for potential development of treatment for ovarian cancer by the PDT scheme discussed herein. 

Mona Doshi¹, Zhongjian Hu¹, Samantha Schneider-Pollack,⁴ Kirsten Treglown¹, Alicja Copik,² Simon Tang,¹ Anne Ahlvers, ^1,3 Andre J. Gesquiere^*,1

1. NanoScience Technology Center, Department of Chemistry and CREOL, The College of Optics and Photonics, University of Central Florida, 12424 Research Parkway Suite 400, Orlando FL 32826, USA

2. Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, 6900 Lake Nona Boulevard, Orlando, FL, 32827, USA

3. Truman State University, Physics Department, 100 E Normal St, Kirksville Mo 63501, USA

4. Inamori School of Engineering, Ceramic Engineering Department, Alfred University, Alfred, NY