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Organic Chemistry and Your Cellphone
Organic Light-Emitting Diodes
Courtney E. Meyet
Richard J. Hooley
This case study guides students through a systematic exploration of the synthesis and properties of poly(phenylene vinylene) (PPV), the first conjugated polymer applied as an organic light-emitting diode (OLED). Students determine how to synthesize a conducting polymer from basic organic chemicals, how to vary its structure to alter the color of emitted light (essential for the creation of color displays), and determine how and why it functions. A classic article from Nature is used to introduce students to the synthesis and properties of PPV, while extracts from more popular sources are used to explain the concepts of electroluminescence and the construction of OLEDs. This case study is designed for a second semester/second quarter organic chemistry course, and is generally presented in the middle of the course. Students will need to be familiar with nucleophilic substitution and elimination, conjugation and UV spectroscopy, aromaticity, electrophilic aromatic substitution, and polymers. An optional PowerPoint presentation, available from the Supplementary Materials tab, can be used to provide a framework for running the class activity, which involves answering questions in small groups.
|Keywords:||Organic reactions; luminescence; organic light-emitting diodes; organic materials; polymers|
|Topical Area:||Science and the media|
|Educational Level:||Undergraduate lower division|
|Type/Method:||Analysis (Issues), Discussion, Journal Article|
|Subject Headings:||Organic Chemistry|
|Copyright:||Copyright held by the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science, University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Please see our usage guidelines, which outline our policy concerning permissible reproduction of this work.|
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The optional PowerPoint presentation can be used to provide a framework for running the class activity, which involves answering questions in small groups.Oled Power Point