Impact of the anion on electrochemically doped regioregular and regiorandom poly(3-hexylthiophene)

Chemical and electrochemical doping of π-conjugated polymers is an important aspect in determining the performance and enabling the operation of many organic electronic devices, from organic light emitting diodes and thermoelectrics to organic electrochemical transistors. In both chemical doping and electrochemical doping an ionized dopant or counterion is present along with the doped π-conjugated polymer. This dopant or counterion is not a benign spectator, rather, its presence can significantly impact the optical, electronic, and thermoelectric properties of the resulting material. Here, we investigate how counterion structure impacts the electrochemical doping ability, oxidation potential, ionization energy, and polaron absorbance of regioregular (rr) and regiorandom (rra) P3HT. We find that in most cases the anion has a small effect on the polymer oxidation potential, except for in the case of rr-P3HT with the large tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate anion. We propose that this large anion is excluded from the crystalline regions and thus the oxidation potential is similar to that of rra-P3HT. The anions also result in significant differences in polaron absorbance and ionization energies, thereby emphasizing the important role of the counterion in determining the optical and electronic properties of doped π-conjugated polymers.     

三(五氟苯基)硼烷掺杂有机/高分子半导体的研究进展

有机/高分子共轭聚合物的结构设计是制备高性能有机半导体的有效策略,但该过程存在着设计合成周期长、制备步骤复杂和产率偏低等问题。为了克服这些问题,近年来人们越来越关注对有机/高分子半导体的掺杂。然而,传统电荷转移掺杂剂(如卤族单质I₂、金属氧化物Fe₃O₄、小分子F4TCNQ等)存在掺杂效率低、溶解度差和掺杂条件苛刻等问题。相比之下,三(五氟苯基)硼烷具有溶解度高、掺杂效率高、广泛适应性等优点。本文结合相关文献综述了三(五氟苯基)硼烷掺杂有机半导体的物理机制,并探讨了掺杂有机半导体的性质;此外,还总结了三(五氟苯基)硼烷掺杂在不同光电功能器件中的应用并明确了今后的研究方向。     

Dopant effect and characterization of polypyrrole-cellulose composites prepared by in situ polymerization process

Polypyrrole (PPy)-cellulose composites were prepared by in situ polymerization of pyrrole in pulp suspension using ferric chloride as an oxidant. Some sulfonic compounds including p-toluenesulfonic acid and its sodium salt (PTSA and PTSA-Na), benzenesulfonic acid (BSA), dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid and its sodium salt (DBSA and DBSA-Na), 2-naphthalene sulfonic acid (NSA) and 9,10-anthraquinone-2-sulfonic acid sodium salt (AQSA-Na) were used as dopants, and their effect on the conductivity of PPy-cellulose composite was investigated. The results showed that the species and dose of dopants had significant effect on the surface resistivity and environmental stability of PPy-cellulose composite. As the dopant, PTSA and DBSA had a superior doping effect compared to their sodium salts. The doping result of BSA was close to that of PTSA. NSA bearing a naphthalene ring and AQSA-Na bearing an anthraquinone ring gave the best conductivity. Using NSA or AQSA-Na as a dopant, along with suitable polymerization conditions, the PPy-cellulose composite obtained showed a surface resistivity as low as 20 Ω cm⁻². For most dopants, the lowest surface resistivity could be obtained when the molar ratio of dopant to pyrrole was 1:1. Both ATR-FTIR (attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) and XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) analysis confirmed that the PPy on pulp fibers doped with PTSA, PTSA-Na, NSA and AQSA-Na had different doping levels. The higher doping level of the PPy in the composites doped with NAS and AQSA-Na might be related to the stronger interaction of cellulose with PPy chains. Both SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and AFM (atomic force microscopy) observation revealed the fine grain microstructure of the PPy on the composites with average grain sizes in the range of 100–200 nm, and the PPy on the samples doped with NSA and AQSA-Na exhibited quite different morphology as compared to those doped with PTSA and its sodium salt.     

An n-Type Polythiophene Derivative with Excellent Thermoelectric Performance

Typical n-type conjugated polymers are based on fused-ring electron-accepting building blocks. Herein, we report a non-fused-ring strategy to design n-type conjugated polymers, i.e. introducing electron-withdrawing imide or cyano groups to each thiophene unit of a non-fused-ring polythiophene backbone. The resulting polymer, n-PT1 , shows low LUMO/HOMO energy levels of −3.91 eV/−6.22 eV, high electron mobility of 0.39 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and high crystallinity in thin film. After n-doping, n-PT1 exhibits excellent thermoelectric performance with an electrical conductivity of 61.2 S cm⁻¹ and a power factor (PF) of 141.7 μW m⁻¹ K⁻². This PF is the highest value reported so far for n-type conjugated polymers and this is the first time for polythiophene derivatives to be used in n-type organic thermoelectrics. The excellent thermoelectric performance of n-PT1 is due to its superior tolerance to doping. This work indicates that polythiophene derivatives without fused rings are low-cost and high-performance n-type conjugated polymers.     

Air‐Stable n‐Type Thermoelectric Materials Enabled by Organic Diradicaloids

Air‐stable n‐type thermoelectric materials are recognized as an important and challenging topic in organic thermoelectrics (OTEs) because conventional n‐type OTE materials prepared by chemical doping are highly volatile upon exposure to air. Besides, doping efficiency and microstructure are hard to control with the incorporation of external dopants. We report herein the design and synthesis of unconventional n‐type OTE materials based on the diradicaloids 2DQQT‐S and 2DQQT‐Se, which are proved to be neutral single‐component organic conductors that exhibit an unprecedented air stability. Without external n‐doping, a pristine film of 2DQQT‐Se shows an electrical conductivity as high as 0.29 S cm^?1 delivering a power factor of 1.4 μW m^?1 K^?2. Under ambient conditions, no decay in electrical conductivity is observed for over 260 hours. This work demonstrates that diradicaloids are promising candidates for air‐stable and high‐performance OTE materials.     

Enhancement of the catalytic performances and lifetime of Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalysts for the steam toluene reforming via the combination of dopants: inspection of Cu,Co, Fe,Mn, and Mo species addition

In this work, the influence of metallic dopant addition in 10 wt % Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst on the material physico-chemical properties and catalytic activity for the toluene steam reforming was studied. Seventeen doped Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts were synthesized by the sol–gel process. The aim of this study was to determine which elements were the most suitable for the doping of 10 wt % Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts. The influence of the dopants was studied through different physico-chemical techniques. It appeared that some dopants showed lower catalytic performances due to high carbon deactivation. On the contrary, some dopants increased the resistance to coking while also improving the catalytic activity. Different mechanisms were proposed to explain these modifications of catalytic behavior. Among all doped Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts, the samples that combined Mn + Mo or Co + Mo dopants showed the best catalytic performances at 650 °C. Both samples showed high toluene reforming activity and low amounts of carbon deposit.     

Transition metal-doped titanium(IV) dioxide: Characterisation and influence on photodegradation of poly(vinyl chloride)

The effects of transition metal dopants (V(IV), V(V), Mn(II), Cr(III), Mo(V), and W(V)), introduced into TiO₂, upon the rate of photodegradation of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) films containing TiO₂ have been measured. The rates were determined mainly by monitoring carbonyl group formation. In another set of experiments, the rates of chloride ion release from irradiated PVC particles suspended in water undergoing agitation with air or O₂ in the presence of particles of doped TiO₂ were measured electrochemically. The doping of TiO₂ (rutile) with Cr(III), V(V) or Mn(II) reduces the photoactivity of the pigment, while doping by Mo(V) or W(V) enhances its photoactivity; the results obtained from carbonyl index measurements are paralleled closely by those from chloride ion release. Even the most aggressive doped pigments were less reactive than Degussa P25 pigment, while the greatest protection to PVC film was offered by TiO₂ particles coated with Al₂O₃ or SiO₂. Overall, the photoactivity of doped TiO₂ is a complex function of dopant concentration, the energy levels of the dopants in the TiO₂ lattice, their d electronic configuration and their local distribution. Photoactivity is also linked to other factors such as crystal type, particle size distribution and surface area. There is a clear relationship between the tendency of the dopant to induce the rutile-to-anatase transition and its effect in enhancing the photoactivity of the pigment. The characterisation of the doped pigments was achieved using X-ray powder diffraction, EPR spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectrophotometry, scanning optical and electron microscopy and particle size analysis using LALLS.     

Blended Conjugated Host and Unconjugated Dopant Polymers Towards N-type All-Polymer Conductors and High-ZT Thermoelectrics

N-Type thermoelectrics typically consist of small molecule dopant+polymer host. Only a few polymer dopant+polymer host systems have been reported, and these have lower thermoelectric parameters. N-type polymers with high crystallinity and order are generally used for high-conductivity ( ) organic conductors. Few n-type polymers with only short-range lamellar stacking for high-conductivity materials have been reported. Here, we describe an n-type short-range lamellar-stacked all-polymer thermoelectric system with highest of 78 S⁻¹, power factor (PF) of 163 μW m⁻¹ K⁻², and maximum Figure of merit (ZT) of 0.53 at room temperature with a dopant/host ratio of 75 wt%. The minor effect of polymer dopant on the molecular arrangement of conjugated polymer PDPIN at high ratios, high doping capability, high Seebeck coefficient (S) absolute values relative to , and atypical decreased thermal conductivity ( ) with increased doping ratio contribute to the promising performance.     

Synthesis and characterization of new azobenzenesulfonic acids doped conducting polyaniline

New azobenzene sulfonic acid dopants were synthesized by diazotized coupling reaction of sulphanilic acid diazonium salt with commercially available raw materials such as phenol, m-cresol and 4-phenylphenol. The structures of the dopants are confirmed by NMR and FT-IR. Polyaniline emeraldine base was doped by these new azobenzenesulfonic acid dopants in two different solvent medium such as methanol and N-methylpyrrolidinone to produce green emeraldine salt. The doping process was confirmed by FT-IR and UV-vis spectroscopy. The effect of composition of dopant on the conductivity of the polyaniline was investigated and the results suggest that the conductivity increases with the increase in the dopant concentration and attained maxima for more than 38% in the feed. The conductivity measurements reveal that all the dopants equally effective in producing in high conductivity in the range of 0.02 S/cm and the conductivity of the doped samples are insignificant to the structural difference in the dopant. WXRD and SEM analysis indicate that the doped samples are highly amorphous and porous in nature. The thermal analysis by TGA indicate that all the doped materials were highly stable up to 300 °C for high temperature applications.     

阴离子掺杂TiO2的芯位移和热力学性质的第一性原理研究

采用第一性原理计算考察了阴离子(硼、碳、氮、氟、磷、硫)掺杂的二氧化钛(包括锐钛矿相和金红石相)。芯位移计算结果表明,在氮掺杂的TiO2中,间隙掺杂类型的N的1s能级在XPS能谱上峰的位置要比替代掺杂的能级高,类似的结果也在硼、碳、磷和硫掺杂的TiO2上发现。然而对于F掺杂的TiO2,替代掺杂的峰位置比间隙掺杂的高,且与TiO2的晶相无关。还对阴离子掺杂的TiO2进行了热力学研究。结果表明,替换掺杂的形成焓高于间隙掺杂的,因此替代掺杂的TiO2的制备需要苛刻的条件,而间隙掺杂TiO2的制备只需温和的湿化学条件。     

Secondary doping in poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):Poly(4‐styrenesulfonate) thin films

The electrical and structural properties of poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4‐styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) thin films deposited from aqueous dispersion using different concentrations of selected secondary dopants are studied in detail. An improvement of the electrical conductivity by three orders of magnitude is achieved for dimethyl sulfoxide, sorbitol, ethylene glycol, and N,N‐dimethylformamide, and the secondary dopant concentration dependence of the conductivity exhibits almost identical behavior for all investigated secondary dopants. Detailed analysis of the surface morphology and Raman spectra reveals no presence of the secondary dopant in fabricated films, and thus the dopants are truly causing the secondary doping effect. Although the ratio of benzenoid and quinoid vibrations in Raman spectra is unaffected by doping, the phase transition in PEDOT:PSS films owing to doping is confirmed. Further analysis of temperature‐dependent conductivity reveals 1D variable range hopping (VRH) charge transport for undoped PEDOT:PSS, whereas highly conductive doped PEDOT:PSS films exhibit 3D VRH charge transport. We demonstrate that the charge ‐ hopping dimensionality change should be a fundamental reason for the conductivity enhancement. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 1139–1146     

DC conductivity and spectroscopic characterization of binary dopant (ZrO2/AgI)‐doped polyaniline

Binary dopant mixture of (ZrO₂/AgI) (v/v) is prepared in different ratios to enhance the conductivity of the synthesized PANI. DC conductivity of (ZrO₂/AgI) (v/v) doped PANI samples is measured in the temperature range (300‐400K). The calculated values of pre‐exponential factor (σ₀) indicates that conduction is taking place through hopping process due to localized states present near the Fermi level. Structural changes due to interaction of dopant species with PANI are studied through FT‐IR and Photoluminescence characterization. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the doped samples occurred in the form of peaks and the intensities of these peaks vary according to the concentration of dopant mixture. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 2682–2687, 2007     

Synthesis of Poly(N-ethylaniline) Nanoparticles Synthesis and Characterization of Organically Soluble Conducting Poly(N-ethylaniline) Nanoparticles using Acrylic Acid as a Soft Template

In this paper, we report the synthesis of poly(N-ethylaniline) (PNETA) by using tartaric acid (TA) as an organic acid dopant by aqueous polymerization method of N-ethylaniline using ammonium per sulphate (APS) as an oxidant and acrylic acid (AA) as a soft template. This is a new polymerization method for the direct synthesis of the emeraldine salt form of poly(N-ethylaniline) in bulk quantity, which is soluble in organic solvents such as m-cresol and N-methyl pyrrolidinone. The prepared polymers were characterized by UV, FTIR, XRD, TGA, SEM and conductivity measurement studies. The results are discussed with reference to HCl doped poly(N-ethylaniline). It is observed that PNETA/TA/AA polymer is comparatively more soluble in m-cresol than that doped with HCl in its salt form. The formation of emeraldine salt phase and dopping process was confirmed by FTIR and UV-Vis spectroscropy. We demonstrate the effect of organic dopant on the morphology and conductivity of the PNETA. It was found that, PNETA doped with TA synthesized using acrylic acid (AA) as a soft template display higher doping level, crystallinity and solubility in common organic solvent. On the contrary, HCl doped polymer was lowered at doping level and amorphous in nature which reflects the role of organic dopant and soft template. X-ray diffraction studies indicate that the PNETA/TA/AA doped samples exhibit higher crystallinity, which indicates enhanced polymer sub-chain alignment as compared to HCl doped polymer. This is also manifested by the FTIR studies. SEM result also revealed the continuous morphology and sub-micrometer size, evenly distributed particles of the PNETA/TA/AA doped polymer.     

Semiconducting poly(dicyanoacetylenes)

Poly(dicyanoacetylene) (PDCA) has been synthesized and characterized. The pristine polymer has EPR g-value, linewidth, unpaired spin concentration, spin—spin relaxation time (T₂), and room temperature dc conductivity (σ_RT) very similar to those of pristine cis-polyacetylene (PA), but shorter spin—lattice relaxation time (T₁). Saturation doping with iodine has little effect on most EPR characteristics of the polymer except for a slight increase in T₁. The doped PDCA has σ_RT value of only 5 X 10^-9 (Ω cm)^-1, indicating either low carrier concentration and/or carrier mobility. Partial cyclization of the nitrile groups by heating at 400°C of PDCA produces l-PDCA with significant increases in unpaired spin concentration and σ_RT but marginal effects on other properties. Saturation doping of l-PDCA with iodine increases σ_RT to 7 × 10^-3 (Ω cm)^-1 without appreciable changes in EPR characteristics. The dopants in both polymers can be removed by evacuation indicating only weak charge transfer interactions. The possible stereoelectronic contribution toward the property differences between the PDCA polymers and PA are discussed.     

Recent Progress on Addressing the Key Challenges in Organic Thermoelectrics

Compared with inorganic thermoelectric materials, organic thermoelectric (OTE) materials have attracted increasing attention due to their advantages of low toxicity, high mechanical flexibility, and large-scale solution processability. In the past few years, OTE materials have made remarkable progress in terms of their design, synthesis, and device performance. However, some challenges remain, including the low doping efficiency in n-type materials, poor doping stability with molecular dopants, and the largely reduced Seebeck coefficient after heavily doping, etc. All these factors hinder the further development of OTEs for commercial applications. In this Minireview, we highlight several key challenges during the development of OTEs and summarize recent understandings and efforts to address these challenges.     

Thermal transporting properties of electrically conductive polyaniline films as organic thermoelectric materials

Thermal transporting properties of electrically conductive polyaniline films were first investigated in wide range of temperatures above room temperature as organic thermoelectric materials. Thermal conductivities of various protonic acid-doped polyaniline films were measured by combination of a laser flash method and a differential scanning calorimeter in relation with electrical conductivity and a kind of dopant. The thermal conductivities thus measured are in the range of conventional organic polymers, indicating that the doped polyaniline films have extremely low thermal conductivities among electrically conductive materials, and have correlation with neither electrical conductivity, nor a kind of dopant. Consequently the polyaniline film, which shows very high electrical conductivity, has comparable thermoelectric figure-of-merit (ZT) with feasible inorganic thermoelectric materials such as iron silicide. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A High-Performance n-Type Thermoelectric Polymer from C−H/C−H Oxidative Direct Arylation Polycondensation

n-Type conjugated polymers (CPs) are crucial in the applications of organic electronics. Direct coupling of electron-deficient C−H monomer via selective C−H activation, namely C−H/C−H oxidative direct arylation polycondensation (Oxi-DArP), is an ideal approach toward such CPs. Herein, Oxi-DArP is firstly adopted to synthesize a high-performance n-type CP using a newly developed monomer, i.e., 3,6-di(thiazol-5-yl)-diketopyrrolopyrrole (Tz-5-DPP). Tz-5-DPP based homopolymer PTz - 5 - DPP with a molecular weight of 22 kDa has been synthesized via Oxi-DArP. After n-doping, PTz - 5 - DPP films exhibited electric conductivity values up to 8 S cm⁻¹ and power factors (PFs) up to 106 μW m⁻¹ K⁻². Notably, this PF value is the highest for n-type polymer thermoelectric materials to date. The Oxi-DArP synthesis and the excellent n-type performance of the polymer make this work an important step toward the straightforward and sustainable preparation of high-performance n-type polymer semiconductors.     

Rigid Coplanar Polymers for Stable n‐Type Polymer Thermoelectrics

Low n‐doping efficiency and inferior stability restrict the thermoelectric performance of n‐type conjugated polymers, making their performance lag far behind of their p‐type counterparts. Reported here are two rigid coplanar poly(p‐phenylene vinylene) (PPV) derivatives, LPPV‐1 and LPPV‐2 , which show nearly torsion‐free backbones. The fused electron‐deficient rigid structures endow the derivatives with less conformational disorder and low‐lying lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) levels, down to ?4.49 eV. After doping, two polymers exhibited high n‐doping efficiency and significantly improved air stability. LPPV‐1 exhibited a high conductivity of up to 1.1 S cm^?1 and a power factor as high as 1.96 μW m^?1 K^?2. Importantly, the power factor of the doped LPPV‐1 thick film degraded only 2 % after 7 day exposure to air. This work demonstrates a new strategy for designing conjugated polymers, with planar backbones and low LUMO levels, towards high‐performance and potentially air‐stable n‐type polymer thermoelectrics.     

(SiH)48X12 Heterofullerenes with the Group III and V Dopants: A DFT Prediction of Geometry,Stability, and Electronic Structure

We have applied DFT calculations to devise some (SiH)₄₈X₁₂ heterofullerenes with replacing of 12 Si–H units with a series of the group III and V dopants, P, N, As, B, Al and Ga, with the configuration of one dopant per pentagonal ring. Our results indicate that binding energies of heterofullerenes with group III dopants are smaller than those of heterfullerenes with group V dopants. Density of state obtained for the systems indicate a distinct change near the valence level compared to that of Si₆₀H₆₀, and a local energy level appears after the doping. (SiH)₄₈X₁₂ heterofullerenes with the group III and V dopants are composed of positively and negatively charged dopant atoms, each of which is surrounded by opposite charged Si atoms. The electrophilicity values of (SiH)₄₈X₁₂ heterofullerenes, except for (SiH)₄₈N₁₂, are greater than that of their parent. Because of the higher electronegativity of group V elements and electron transfer from the cages to the group V dopants, electrophilicity values for the (SiH)₄₈X₁₂ heterofullerenes with the group V dopants are always smaller than those of heterofullerenes with the group III dopants.     

Vibration and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies of FeCl3-doped poly(p-diethynylbenzene)

The doping mechanism of poly(p-diethynylbenzene), chemically doped with FeCl₃, was investigated. Absorption, infrared, far infrared, Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies were used to determine the nature of the dopant in doped polymer. The experimental results suggest that the charge transfer reaction between the polymer chain and the dopant results in the formation of FeCl₄⁻ species, the π electron charge delocalization along the polymeric chain and the reduction of π-π^* transition energy.