High-Performance n-Type Organic Thermoelectrics Enabled by Synergistically Achieving High Electron Mobility and Doping Efficiency

Feng，Kui1,2; Wang，Junwei1; Jeong，Sang Young3; Yang，Wanli1; Li，Jianfeng1; Woo，Han Young3; Guo，Xugang1

2023

10.1002/advs.202302629

Advanced Science   Impact Factor & Quartile

2198-3844

n-Doped polymers with high electrical conductivity (σ) are still very scarce in organic thermoelectrics (OTEs), which limits the development of efficient organic thermoelectric generators. A series of fused bithiophene imide dimer-based polymers, PO8, PO12, and PO16, incorporating distinct oligo(ethylene glycol) side-chain to optimize σ is reported here. Three polymers show a monotonic electron mobility decrease as side-chain size increasing due to the gradually lowered film crystallinity and change of backbone orientation. Interestingly, polymer PO12 with a moderate side-chain size delivers a champion σ up to 92.0 S cm and a power factor (PF) as high as 94.3 µW m K in the series when applied in OTE devices. The PF value is among the highest ones for the solution-processing n-doped polymers. In-depth morphology studies unravel that the moderate crystallinity and the formation of 3D conduction channel derived from bimodal orientation synergistically contribute to high doping efficiency and large charge carrier mobility, thus resulting in high performance for the PO12-based OTEs. The results demonstrate the great power of simple tuning of side chain in developing n-type polymers with substantial σ for improving organic thermoelectric performance.

electrical conductivity electron mobility n-doping efficiency organic thermoelectrics side-chain engineering

SCI

English

First ; Corresponding

National Natural Science Foundation of China["22275078","22005135","52173171"] ; National Research Foundation of Korea["2019R1A6A1A11044070","2020M3H4A3081814"]

Chemistry ; Science & Technology - Other Topics ; Materials Science

Chemistry, Multidisciplinary ; Nanoscience & Nanotechnology ; Materials Science, Multidisciplinary

WOS:001044205700001

WILEY

2-s2.0-85166932742

Scopus

1.Department of Materials Science and Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,Guangdong,518055,China
2.Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,Guangdong,518055,China
3.Department of Chemistry,Korea University,Seoul,Anamro 145,02841,South Korea

Feng，Kui,Wang，Junwei,Jeong，Sang Young,et al. High-Performance n-Type Organic Thermoelectrics Enabled by Synergistically Achieving High Electron Mobility and Doping Efficiency[J]. Advanced Science,2023,10(29).

Feng，Kui.,Wang，Junwei.,Jeong，Sang Young.,Yang，Wanli.,Li，Jianfeng.,...&Guo，Xugang.(2023).High-Performance n-Type Organic Thermoelectrics Enabled by Synergistically Achieving High Electron Mobility and Doping Efficiency.Advanced Science,10(29).

Feng，Kui,et al."High-Performance n-Type Organic Thermoelectrics Enabled by Synergistically Achieving High Electron Mobility and Doping Efficiency".Advanced Science 10.29(2023).