Impact of oxidation-induced ordering on the electrical and mechanical properties of a polythiophene co-processed with bistriflimidic acid Show others and affiliations
2023 (English) In: Journal of Materials Chemistry C, ISSN 2050-7526, E-ISSN 2050-7534, Vol. 11, no 24, p. 8091-8099Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
The interplay between the nanostructure of a doped polythiophene with oligoether side chains and its electrical as well as mechanical properties is investigated. The degree of order of the polymer is found to strongly vary when co-processed with bistriflimidic acid (H-TFSI). The neat polythiophene as well as strongly oxidized material are largely disordered while intermediate concentrations of H-TFSI give rise to a high degree of pi-stacking. The structural disorder of strongly oxidized material correlates with a decrease in the kinetic fragility with H-TFSI concentration, suggesting that positive interactions between TFSI anions and the polymer reduce the ability to crystallize. The electrical conductivity as well as the Youngs modulus first increase upon the addition of 4-10 mol% of H-TFSI, while the loss of pi-stacking observed for strongly oxidized material more significantly affects the latter. As a result, material comprising 25 mol% H-TFSI displays an electrical conductivity of 58 S cm(-1) but features a relatively low Youngs modulus of only 80 MPa. Decoupling of the electrical and mechanical properties of doped conjugated polymers may allow the design of soft conductors that are in high demand for wearable electronics and bioelectronics.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages Royal Society of Chemistry, 2023. Vol. 11, no 24, p. 8091-8099
National Category
Polymer Chemistry
Identifiers URN: urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-190632 DOI: 10.1039/d2tc03927c ISI: 000890622800001 OAI: oai:DiVA.org:liu-190632 DiVA, id: diva2:1720413
Note Funding Agencies|Swedish Research Council [2016-05990, 2018-03824]; European Union [955837]; Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation through a Wallenberg Academy Fellowship Prolongation grant
2022-12-192022-12-192023-11-09 Bibliographically approved