Regioisomeric Cyanated Polythiophenes Bearing Polar Side Chains for n-Type Organic Thermoelectrics

Li, Jianfeng1; Yang, Kun4; Wang, Dong2; Liu, Bin1; Wang, Yimei1; Jeong, Sang Young3; Chen, Zhicai1; Woo, Han Young3; Guo, Xugang1

2023-03-28

10.1021/acs.macromol.2c02564

MACROMOLECULES   Impact Factor & Quartile

0024-9297

1520-5835

The development of n-type polymers with high thermoelectric performance remains a major challenge for organic thermoelectrics. Herein, by devising two new isomeric cyano-functionalized bithiophene building blocks bearing polar side chains, we report two novel donor-acceptor-configurated n-type polythiophene polymers (BTOgCN-FT and BTCNOg-FT) with regiochemically tuned intramolecular S center dot center dot center dot O noncovalent interactions (INIs) and cyanation patterns for n-type thermoelectric application. The results show that cyanation furnished low-lying LUMO energy levels approaching that of the benchmark n-type polymer N2200 for both polymers (similar to-3.90 eV), which combine with their polar side chain-enabled high dopant miscibility, leading to efficient n-doping efficiencies. Detailed theoretical and experimental studies also suggest that BTOgCN-FT exhibited a more planar backbone conformation and more ordered interchain packing in film state, thus yielding higher electrical values than BTCNOg-FT. Therefore, the polymer BTOgCN-FT eventually displays an optimal power factor (PF) value of 2.77 mu W m-1 K-2, which is higher than that of BTCNOg-FT (1.50 mu W m-1 K-2) and also largely outperforming that of the thoroughly investigated and optimized polymer N2200 (typical PF value of 10-2 mu W m-1 K-2). Our work not only presents two novel structurally simple and isomeric electron-accepting building blocks but also offers valuable structure-property correlations for the future design of highperformance n-type thermoelectric materials.

SCI

English

First ; Corresponding

National Natural Science Foundation of China[52173171] ; Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation["JCYJ20220818100617037","2022A1515010935"] ; Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission[2021M701550] ; China Postdoctoral Science Foundation[2019R1A6A1A11044070] ; National Research Foundation of Korea[22005133] ; null[2022A1515110635]

Polymer Science

Polymer Science

WOS:000953138200001

AMER CHEMICAL SOC

CHEMISTRY

Web of Science

1.Southern Univ Sci & Technol SUSTech, Dept Mat Sci & Engn, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong, Peoples R China
2.Harbin Inst Technol, Sch Mat Sci & Engn, Harbin 150001, Peoples R China
3.Korea Univ, Res Inst Nat Sci, Dept Chem, Seoul 02841, South Korea
4.Hunan Univ, Coll Chem & Chem Engn, State Key Lab Chemo Biosensing & Chemometr, Changsha 410082, Hunan, Peoples R China

Li, Jianfeng,Yang, Kun,Wang, Dong,et al. Regioisomeric Cyanated Polythiophenes Bearing Polar Side Chains for n-Type Organic Thermoelectrics[J]. MACROMOLECULES,2023,56(6).

Li, Jianfeng.,Yang, Kun.,Wang, Dong.,Liu, Bin.,Wang, Yimei.,...&Guo, Xugang.(2023).Regioisomeric Cyanated Polythiophenes Bearing Polar Side Chains for n-Type Organic Thermoelectrics.MACROMOLECULES,56(6).

Li, Jianfeng,et al."Regioisomeric Cyanated Polythiophenes Bearing Polar Side Chains for n-Type Organic Thermoelectrics".MACROMOLECULES 56.6(2023).