School of Chemical Engineering

Graduate seminar series

Lizbeth Rostro

School of Chemical Engineering

Purdue University

“Synthesis, Optimization, and Characterization of Radical Polymers for
Organic Electronic Applications”

Thursday, April 16, 2015

9:00-10:15 a.m.

FRNY G140

Reception at 8:30 a.m. in Henson Atrium

Abstract:  Electrically-active organic materials have attracted much attention in recent years due to their chemical tunability and relatively high performance in organic electronic devices. Here, we focus on a new class of conducting polymers, which contain a non-conjugated backbone and an electrically-active pendant stabilized radical group. These radical polymers are synthesized using a facile, scalable polymerization mechanism. For the first time, we have established that these materials are electrically-active in the solid state. Additionally, we demonstrate that the electronic properties of these materials can be tuned in order to provide specific performance in a range of applications (e.g., plastic solar cells).

Bio:  Lizbeth Rostro studied chemical engineering at the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville. During her time there she was afforded the opportunity to undertake three co-op rotations with The Dow Chemical Company. After graduating with a B.S. in chemical engineering from Arkansas in 2011, she began her graduate studies at Purdue University under the supervision of Professor Bryan Boudouris. In 2012 she was named as an awardee of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). Upon the completion of her doctoral degree in August 2015, she will begin a full-time appointment at The Dow Chemical Company in Freeport, Texas.