Overview
Theme:
Synthesis, fabrication, characterization and modeling of novel materials designed from the molecular
scale to optimize electrical, mechanical, chemical, and optical responses in
devices.
Molecular
Actuators:
Molecular-scale dimensional
changes are employed to create materials with muscle-like properties.
Electrochemically-driven conducting polymers
and carbon nanotube sheets are
being characterized and applied in medical devices, robotics, toys,
and chemical/bio sensors. Current actuators generate
up to 100 x more force than
mammalian skeletal muscle for a given cross-section, and three times the power to mass.
Much of our work is aimed at increasing strain and strain rate.
High Power Capacitors:
Conducting polymers, including polypyrrole, feature capacitances of over 100 Farads per gram (or ~ 10
ml/F ). The primary disadvantage of these capacitors is their slow discharge time
(> 1s). Measurement and modeling of the rate-limiting mechanisms suggests that discharge rates can be increased >1000 fold, enabling power delivery in excess of 100
MW/kg. This is being achieved in part via polymer and carbon nanostructuring.
Organic
Transistors: Polymer and organic
transistors and devices promise to enable ultra-low cost integrated
systems. An important limitation in current high performance organic
transistors is their need for high gate voltages (~100 V). We are
investigating new transistor architectures that bring voltages down by an
order of magnitude while maintaining performance.
All-Organic
Devices:
A key aim is to
develop all organic devices. The diversity of electrical, mechanical, optical, chemical and biochemical behaviours of conducting polymers, and
their low cost, makes them ideal materials for fabricating such artificial
"organisms".
Opportunities
Students and post-docs sought in all areas of research: high energy
density storage for renewable energy (supercapacitors), organic
transistors and circuits (OFETs), conducting polymer and carbon nanotube
artificial muscle characterization and application, and molecular
actuator characterization (single molecule actuation). At present
positions are available for those with NSERC or other funding. From time
to time additional students are hired through research contracts.
Contacts
Email: jmadden "at" ece.ubc.ca
Lab: 1-604-822-6267
Office:
1-604-827-5306
Fax:
1-604-822-5949
| Mail: |
Room 341
Advanced Materials and Process Engineering Laboratory
Brimacombe Building 2355
East Mall Vancouver, BC,
Canada V6T 1Z4 |
