Fraunhofer Institute for 
Polymers for electronics
We develop new organic functional materials and adapt them to solution-based processes, benefiting from our extensive expertise in the fields of organic synthesis and polymer synthesis. For the synthesis of semiconducting polymers various CC-metal catalyzed coupling reactions were used. They are applied in OPV or in organic circuits.
In the field of OLEDs, we develop new polymer-based, phosphorescent systems in which the active molecules are linked by free radical polymerization as a side group to the polymeric backbone. The challenge in developing the material primarily consists of synthesizing defect-free polymers and to reduce impurities − such as metals and anions − to the ppm-range. This means that special attention must be given to the purification processes, beginning with the monomer production.
In the field of electroactive polymers new dielectric polymers are developed. Here, organic molecules with a large dipole moment are modified in a way that they may be incorporated into different polymeric matrices such as silicone-containing materials. The resulting field-activated electroactive films then operate at lower field strengths and are used in the actuator system.
New polymeric solid electrolytes − used for instance in car batteries − are developed by constructing blending systems consisting of crosslinked ionic liquids and a crosslinkable matrix component, which contains oxygen-rich linear oligomers.
For fast, generative manufacturing methods of complex-shaped components such as the "rapid prototyping" new photocrosslinkable materials are developed that meet the process-related boundary conditions of an inkjet ink. In addition, the cured polymers meet diverse properties of a blood vessel graft, i. e., the material structure must have the characteristics of natural mechanoelastischen arteries and veins and is active against a bio-functionalization of polymer surfaces.