Microstructural Evolution Dominates the Changes in the Thermal Conductivity of Conjugated Polymers Upon Doping
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2025

In this study, the correlation between the changes in microstructure of conjugated polymers upon doping and their concomitant thermal transport properties is elucidated. Eight conjugated polymers across distinct doping systems are examined: molecular dopants, Lewis acid type dopants, and ion-exchange systems. These findings indicate that, upon doping, there is a decrease in out-of-plane thermal conductivity for five polymers characterized by high structural order, such as those based on thiophene, diketopyrrolopyrrole, and terthiophene-naphthalimide copolymers. Conversely, for polymers with less ordered structures, including regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) and thiophene-based polymers with oligoether side chains, an increase in out-of-plane thermal conductivity is observed. To elucidate these trends, several hypotheses are examined: i) enhanced intrinsic thermal anisotropy originating from backbone orientation, ii) variations in the crystalline to amorphous fraction, and (iii) alloying effects resulting from dopant incorporation. Grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering reveals that in-plane alignment exerts a direct influence on both in-plane and out-of-plane thermal conductivities. Photooxidation experiments provide further insights into the role of alloy scattering. Ultimately, the in-plane thermoelectric figure of merit is ascertained for two diketopyrrolopyrrole-based polymers, underscoring the critical importance of measuring thermal and electrical properties in the same orientation to ensure precise thermoelectric evaluation.

electrical doping

semiconducting polymers

thermal transport

anisotropy

organic thermoelectrics

Författare

Jiali Guo

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)

Kai Xu

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)

Jesika Asatryan

Universidade da Coruña

Matías J. Alonso-Navarro

Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Osnat Zapata-Arteaga

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)

Mariavittoria Craighero

Chalmers, Kemi och kemiteknik, Tillämpad kemi

Aleksandr Perevedentsev

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)

Renee Kroon

Linköpings universitet

Chalmers, Kemi och kemiteknik, Tillämpad kemi

María Mar Ramos

Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

José L. Segura

Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Jaime Martín

Universidade da Coruña

Christian Müller

Chalmers, Kemi och kemiteknik, Tillämpad kemi

Juan Sebastián Reparaz

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)

M. Campoy-Quiles

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)

Advanced Functional Materials

1616-301X (ISSN) 16163028 (eISSN)

Vol. In Press

Hybrid and Organic Thermoelectric Systems (HORATES)

Europeiska kommissionen (EU) (EC/H2020/955837), 2021-03-01 -- 2025-02-28.

Ämneskategorier (SSIF 2025)

Polymerkemi

Den kondenserade materiens fysik

Fysikalisk kemi

DOI

10.1002/adfm.202510822

Mer information

Senast uppdaterat

2025-08-08