SFB 986: Subproject B07 - Polymers in interfacial-dominated geometries: Structure, dynamics and function in planar and in porous hybrid systems

This project focuses on investigations of Polypyrol (PPy) inside tubular pores in a micro-, meso-, and macro-porous Silicon (PSi). PPy offers the possibility to modify the electrical conductivity of PSi in a controlled way. It furthermore opens up sensoric and actoric applications for the PPy/PSi hybrid system. The experiments with the 1D system will be complemented by investigations in the planar 2D geometry, permitting to differentiate the sole influence from the geometric confinement inside the pores from the interfacial coupling at the interface.

The combination of hard Si walls and soft polymer filling represents an interesting material with novel structural, functional and dynamical properties that will be characterized and optimized by various experimental techniques including optical birefringence, mechanical-dynamical analysis, indentation, temperature-dependent conductivity measurements as well as by X-ray diffraction, and modelled together with B6.

This combined approach permits to establish PPy/PSi as a multiscale hybrid model system within the SFB, and at the same time it opens up application-oriented developments.

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