Persistent Conjugated Backbone and Disordered Lamellar Packing Impart Polymers with Efficient n-Doping and High...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Condensed Matter Physics

Background:

• Solution-processable conductive polymers are crucial for electronic applications.
• While p-doped polymers achieve high conductivities (~10^5 S cm-1), n-doped polymers lag due to inefficient doping and structural disorder.
• Dopant ions often disrupt polymer ordering, hindering charge transport and limiting conductivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop highly conductive n-doped polymers using a simple solution-based method.
• To overcome the limitations of inefficient doping and dopant-induced structural disorder in n-doped polymers.
• To achieve high charge-carrier densities and mobilities simultaneously for enhanced electrical conductivity.

Main Methods:

• A simple solution-based co-deposition method was employed.
• Two conjugated polymers with rigid planar backbones and disordered crystalline structures were utilized.
• The structural tolerance and miscibility of these polymers with common n-dopants were investigated.

Main Results:

• Achieved high electrical conductivity exceeding 90 S cm-1 in n-doped polymers.
• Demonstrated that the chosen polymers exhibit excellent structural tolerance and miscibility with n-dopants.
• Enabled simultaneous realization of high charge-carrier concentrations and high mobilities.
• Reported excellent electrical conductivity and thermoelectric performance.

Conclusions:

• The developed solution-based co-deposition method offers a viable route to highly conductive n-doped polymers.
• The unique structural properties of the selected polymers are key to overcoming doping inefficiencies and achieving high performance.
• These findings pave the way for advanced electronic and thermoelectric devices utilizing n-doped conductive polymers.