Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica-Research

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Directions

The research thrusts of the Institute are currently grouped along three major directions: materials chemistry, chemical synthesis and catalysis, and chemical biology. The current topics of materials sector include organic electroluminescent materials and devices, organic field-effect transistor materials and devices, photovoltaic materials and devices. The chemical catalysis and synthesis sector is focusing on the development of new synthetic methodology, drug discovery, carbohydrate chemistry, and the development of new catalytic systems for the generation of renewal energies and green fuels. The chemical biology program has made important advances in the delineation of bio-macromolecular structures and the development of new analytical platforms for disease detection and diagnosis.

Materials Chemistry: Organic Electronic and Optoelectronic Materialsy

Applications of organic optoelectronic materials and molecular engineering of nanomaterials are two major research directions under the materials division. Noticeable results include developments of blue fluorescent molecular materials for high performance organic light-emitting diodes, rational design of field-effective organic memory devices based on pentacene and gold nanoparticles, the very first stable organic thin film transistor based on single crystal of hexacene, rare single-walled metal–organic nanotube (MONT) with a large exterior wall diameter, the applications of metal-organic framework as optoelectronic materials, and a number of high performance materials for efficient solar energy harvesting devices such as dye-sensitized solar cells, perovskite solar cells, or organic photovoltaics. Researchers in this sector also develop stimuli-responsive materials, core-shell nanomaterials, and biomaterials. A recent report shows that a cell membrane–mimicking conducting polymer is capable to integrate biochemical and electrical stimulation to promote neural cellular behavior with great enhancement of neurite outgrowth on this conducting polymer.

Chemical Catalysis and Synthesis: Green Catalysis and Synthetic Methodology

In response to the increasingly demands of sustainable fuel and green synthetic technology, researchers in the organic synthesis and chemical catalysis divisions have strived to advance the development of cutting-edge technology for chemical transformations. The synthetic chemistry division of this sector focuses on the advances of synthetic methodology and drug discovery. The research topics under catalysis division is reconciling to catalysis relating to renewable energy. Major research directions in this sector include: (1) synthetic methodology: silyl ethers for hydroxy- directed nucleophilic acyl alkylation, microwave-assisted carbohydrate synthesis, smart fluorescent probes for bioorthogonal sugar labeling; (2) coordination chemistry: approaching unconventional catalysis via amino-NHC and carbodicarbene, unconventional porphyrin complexes for small molecule activations, engineering cytochrome P450 BM3 and alkane hydroxylase (AlkB) for alkane oxidations; (3) renewable energy catalysis: catalytic hydrogen evolution and mechanistic studies, encapsulated tricopper cluster for methane to methanol conversion, and novel catalysts for valorization of lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks.

Chemical Biology: New Material and Method towards Sustainable Health

Chemical biology division focus on the development of new material and methodology to explore the structure and function of macromolecules associated with cellular function or human diseases. The research activities are directed to unravel the underlying pathological mechanism and to derive new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Research topics in this division cover (1) development of smart biomaterials based on novel molecular principles; (2) chemical probe and advanced techniques in bio-imaging and structural biology; (3) drug discovery in cancer, infectious and neurodegenerative diseases; (4) development of structural biology techniques for infectious diseases, and (5) development of advanced proteomics strategies for biomarker discovery. The major achievements from the chemical biology group include the establishment of multiplexed quantitative strategy for membrane proteomics and post-translational modification for delineating disease mechanism and mining therapeutic targets discovery of amyloid fibrils induced from the TDP-43 in the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and development of a photocontrollable probe to induce TDP-43 aggregates in live cells, mapping of the RNA exit channel on transcribing RNA polymerase II by FRET analysis, development of nano velcro chip to capture circulating tumor cells for liquid biopsy, construction of a near-infrared- activatable enzyme platform using an up-conversion nanoparticle to remotely trigger intracellular signal transduction.

由雙氟與雙腈取代六噻吩異靛藍三元共聚高分子構成的三元高分子太陽能電池異質接面厚度增加 (100 奈米 → 300 奈米) 效率僅微幅下降 (14.5% → 14.0%)

Difluoro and Dicyano Substituted Sexithiophene—Isoindigo Terpolymers Enabling Ternary Polymer Solar Cells with a Bulk Heterojunction Thickness 100 nm → 300 nm and a Minor Decline of Efficiency 14.5% → 14.0%

Chem. Eng. J. 2023, 468, 143796.
Adane Desta Fenta, Chiao-Wen Lin, Syuan-Wei Li, Chao-Tsen Chen*, Chin-Ti Chen*

成功製備了高效率三元共聚高分子—Y6 或 IT4F—PC₇₁BM 所構成的三元高分子太陽能電池，這些三元高分子太陽能電池異質接面厚度可以薄從 100 奈米厚至 500 奈米厚。令人驚喜的，當異質接面厚度從 100 奈米增加至 300 奈米時，這些三元高分子太陽能電池的效率僅出現微幅的下降: 14.5% 降至 14.0%( Y6元件)；12.7% 降至 12.4% ( IT4F 元件)。至於這些三元高分子太陽能電池的持久性，無論是厚的 (300 nm) Y6 或 IT4F 元件，測試的存放期限與文獻中報導的高分子太陽能電池相當，文獻中有存放期限測試報導的高分子太陽能電池，其厚度都沒有超過 180 奈米，高效率的高分子太陽能電池越厚越有利於高分子太陽能電池的量產製程。

Efficient ternary polymer solar cells (PSCs) based on a series of terpolymers, Y6 or IT4F, and PC₇₁BM have been fabricated. The bulk heterojunction (BHJ) of these polymer solar cells has a varied thickness, from 100 nm to 500 nm. Remarkably, the power conversion efficiency of these polymer solar cells shows a minor decline, from 14.5% to 14.0% (for Y6 devices) or from 12.7% to 12.4% (for IT4F devices), when the thickness of BHJ increases from 100 nm to 300 nm. Regarding the durability of PSCs, terpolymer—Y6 or IT4F—PC₇₁BM thick PSCs (300 nm) exhibit comparable shelf-lifetime as those thinner PSCs (< 180 nm). Efficient PSCs with a thicker BHJ are more ready for mass production processes.