Samson A. Jenekhe

Samson A. JenekheBoeing-Martin Professor of Chemical Engineering and Professor of Chemistry

 
Offfice: 363 Benson
Phone: 206-543-5525
Fax: 206-685-3451
 
 
 
 
 

Education

 
  • B.S., Michigan Technological University, 1977.
  • M.S.Ch.E., University of Minnesota, 1980.
  • M.A., University of Minnesota, 1981.
  • Ph.D., University of Minnesota, 1985.
 

Research Interests 

 
  • Organic electronics and optoelectronics, including thin film transistors, solar cells, and LEDs.
  • Self-assembly and nanotechnology, including block copolymers, nanowires, and multicomponent self-assembly.
  • Polymer science, including synthesis, processing, properties, and photonic applications.
 
Electroluminescent Polymers for Displays, Self-Assembling Polymer Systems, Polymer Device Engineering, Tunable Optical Polymer Systems, and Polymer Nanophotonics
 
One of Professor Jenekhe's main research interests focuses on electronic, optoelectronic, and photonic phenomena in polymers. Fundamental understanding of these phenomena and the related electroactive and photoactive properties in synthetic polymers is essential to their applications in diverse areas of technology ranging from imaging, photodetectors, batteries, sensors, electrochromic devices, and solar cells to light emitting diodes for flat panel displays. One perennial problem is elucidation of the structural origins of electronic and photonic properties of polymers; another is how to improve or control the efficiencies of the photophysical and charge transport processes. Our general approaches to these problems include the design and synthesis of new polymers, physical and photophysical measurements, structure-property correlations, computational modeling, thin film processing, and polymer device engineering. 
 
In one area, we are exploring how the electronic, molecular, and supramolecular structures and morpholoty of conjugated polymers influence their photoconductivity, luminescence, and charge transport properties. Model systems include homologous series of conjugated oligomers, blends of conjugated polymers, and derivatized conjugated polymers. Aggregation of conjugated polymers which can lead to diverse phenomena is under study, including the formation of excited-state and ground-state complexes which can significantly modulate the optical and photoelectronic properties of the materials. Our studies in the area of polymer thin film device engineering are aimed at addressing the fundamental and engineering issues involved in developing and producing high performance and durable electronic and optoelectronic devices (e.g. light-emitting diodes, photodetectors, thin film transistors, photovoltaic cells, sensors, etc.) from organic and polymeric materials. These issues include polymer thin film deposition processes, characterization of the electronic, optical and mechanical properties of polymer thin films and polymer/polymer, and polymer/metal interfaces, and the fabrication and evaluation of multilayer polymer thin film devices. Recently discovered finite size effects on nanoscale semiconducting polymer thin films and devices also require further study.

 

Recent Publications

 
  • Kim, F. S.; Guo, X.; Watson, M. D.; Jenekhe, S. A. “High-Mobility Ambipolar Transistors and High-Gain Inverters from a Donor-Acceptor Copolymer Semiconductor,” Adv. Mater. 2010, 22, 478-482.
  • Ren, G.; Wu, P.-T.; Jenekhe, S. A. “Enhanced Performance of Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells Using Block Copoly(3-alkylthiophene)s,” Chem. Mater. 2010, 22, 2020-2026.
  • Wu, P.-T.; Ren, G.; Jenekhe, S. A. “Crystalline Random Conjugated Copolymers with Multiple side Chains: Tunable Intermolecular Interactions and and Enhanced Charge Transport and Photovoltaic Properties,” Macromolecules 2010, 43, 3306-3313.
  • Xin, H.; Reid, O. G.; Ren, G.; Kim, F. S.; Ginger, D. S.; Jenekhe, S. A. “Polymer Nanowire/Fullerene Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells: How Nanostructure Determines Photovoltaic Properties,” ACS Nano 2010, 4, 1861-1872.
  • Noone, K. M.; Strein, E.; Anderson, N. C.; Wu, P.-T.; Jenekhe, S. A.; Ginger, D. S. “Broadband Absorbing Bulk Heterojunction Photovoltaics Using Low-Bandgap Solution-Processed Quantum Dots,”Nano Lett. 2010, 10, 2635-2639.
  • Earmme, T.; Ahmed, E.; Jenekhe, S. A. “Solution-Processed Highly Efficient Blue Phosphorescent Polymer Light-Emitting Diodes Enabled by a New Electron Transport Material,” Adv. Mater. 2010, 22, 4744-4748.
  • Wu, P.-T.; Ren, G.; Li, C.; Mezzenga, R.; Jenekhe, S. A. “Crystalline Diblock Conjugated Copolymers: Synthesis, Self-Assembly, and Microphase Separation of Poly(3-butylthiophene)-b-Poly(3-octylthiophene),” Macromolecules 2009, 42, 2317-2320.
  • Guo, X.; Kim, F. S.; Jenekhe, S. A.; Watson, M. D. “Phthalimide-Based Polymers for High Performance Organic Thin-Film Transistors,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 7206-7207.
  • Xin, H.; Guo, X.; Kim, F. S.; Ren, G.; Watson, M. D.; Jenekhe, S. A. “Efficient solar cells based on a new phthalimide-based donor-acceptor copolymer semiconductor: morphology, charge-transport, and photovoltaic properties,” J. Mater. Chem. 2009, 19, 5303-5310.
  • Earmme, T.; Ahmed, E.; Jenekhe, S. A. “Highly efficient phosphorescent light-emitting diodes by using an electron transport material with high electron affinity,” J. Phys. Chem. C. 2009, 113,18448-18450.

Contact Us

Dept. of Chemical Engineering

phone: (206) 543-2250
fax: (206) 543-3778

dand@cheme.washington.edu