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Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Monitoring the Effects of Illumination on the Structure of Conjugated Polymer Gels Using Neutron Scattering
Published on: December 21, 2017
What determines the mobility of charge carriers in conjugated polymers?
Frédéric Laquai1, Gerhard Wegner, Heinz Bässler
1Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research Mainz, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
Abstract:
In a conjugated polymer, the mobility of charge carriers is not a well-defined coefficient of a particular material as it is in an inorganic crystalline semiconductor but depends on the time domain of detection. On a time-scale of typically 100 fs, the on-chain mobility is ultra-high and controlled by the electronic band width of the polymer chain. When a carrier hits a chain imperfection, subsequent mesoscopic on-chain motion is retarded and controlled by intrachain disorder to which the chain environment contributes. Macroscopic transport commences after a time when interchain carrier jumps become rate limiting. It is routinely probed by time-of-flight experiments and can be rationalized in terms of random walk within a rough energy landscape. Experimental signatures of the various modes of transport are discussed.
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