Ground-state electron transfer in all-polymer donor-acceptor heterojunctions
Journal article, 2020
Doping of organic semiconductors is crucial for the operation of organic (opto)electronic and electrochemical devices. Typically, this is achieved by adding heterogeneous dopant molecules to the polymer bulk, often resulting in poor stability and performance due to dopant sublimation or aggregation. In small-molecule donor–acceptor systems, charge transfer can yield high and stable electrical conductivities, an approach not yet explored in all-conjugated polymer systems. Here, we report ground-state electron transfer in all-polymer donor–acceptor heterojunctions. Combining low-ionization-energy polymers with high-electron-affinity counterparts yields conducting interfaces with resistivity values five to six orders of magnitude lower than the separate single-layer polymers. The large decrease in resistivity originates from two parallel quasi-two-dimensional electron and hole distributions reaching a concentration of ∼1013 cm–2. Furthermore, we transfer the concept to three-dimensional bulk heterojunctions, displaying exceptional thermal stability due to the absence of molecular dopants. Our findings hold promise for electro-active composites of potential use in, for example, thermoelectrics and wearable electronics.
Author
Kai Xu
Linköping University
Hengda Sun
Linköping University
Tero Petri Ruoko
Linköping University
Gang Wang
Linköping University
Renee Kroon
Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Applied Chemistry
Nagesh B. Kolhe
University of Washington
Yuttapoom Puttisong
Linköping University
X. J. Liu
Linköping University
D. Fazzi
University of Cologne
Koki Shibata
Chiba University
Chi Yuan Yang
Linköping University
Ning Sun
Yunnan University
Gustav Persson
Chalmers, Physics, Nano and Biophysics
Andrew Yankovich
Chalmers, Physics, Nano and Biophysics
Eva Olsson
Chalmers, Physics, Nano and Biophysics
Hiroyuki Yoshida
Chiba University
W.M. Chen
Linköping University
M. Fahlman
Linköping University
M. Kemerink
Linköping University
Samson A. Jenekhe
University of Washington
Christian Müller
Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Applied Chemistry
M. Berggren
Linköping University
S. Fabiano
Linköping University
Nature Materials
1476-1122 (ISSN) 1476-4660 (eISSN)
Vol. 19 7 738-744Subject Categories
Inorganic Chemistry
Materials Chemistry
Condensed Matter Physics
Areas of Advance
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (SO 2010-2017, EI 2018-)
Infrastructure
Chalmers Materials Analysis Laboratory
DOI
10.1038/s41563-020-0618-7