journal article·2024-04-01Open access

Impact of Oligo(Ethylene Glycol) Side Chains on the Thermoelectric Properties of Naphthalenediimide–Dialkoxybithiazole Polymers

Xuwen Yang, Gang Ye, Karolina Tran, Yuru Liu, Jiamin Cao, Jingjin Dong, Giuseppe Portale, Jian Liu, Ping Zhang, Maria Antonietta Loi, Ryan C. Chiechi, L. Jan Anton Koster

ACS Materials Letters· Volume 6· Issue 4

Abstract

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Organic thermoelectric materials have garnered significant interest as promising candidates for energy harvesting applications. In recent years, ethylene-glycol side-chain engineering in organic semiconductors has gradually become an efficient approach to boost the performance of organic thermoelectrics. Although this strategy is widely utilized, the impact of their volume and branching structure remains unknown. This contribution describes a trade-off phenomenon between the oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) side chains and thermoelectric properties based on the n-type doped low-bandgap conjugated polymers, achieved through the modification of the volume and structure of side chains. Three conjugated polymers comprising a naphthalenediimide-dialkoxybithiazole backbone and different linear length or branched OEG side chains exhibit good host/dopant miscibility after doping. We find that, in the linear OEG side-chain-based polymers, the increased volume of side chains slightly influences the planarity of backbones, thereby leading to similar and satisfactory thermoelectric performances. The high fraction of side chains does not consistently yield enhanced performance, as the branched OEG side-chain introduces steric hindrance. Consequently, the accordingly conjugated backbones become less planar and rigid, resulting in critical molecular packing changes and low charge carrier mobility and doping efficiency and thus low thermoelectric performance. Our work provides a unique insight into the fundamental understanding of the relationship between molecular packing and thermoelectric properties and guides the future rational design of efficient n-type organic semiconductors.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Advanced Thermoelectric Materials and Devices · Conducting polymers and applications · Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands

State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, P. R. China

Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands

Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials, Hubei Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, China

Key Laboratory of Theoretical Organic Chemistry and Functional Molecule of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China

Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics (KLOFE) & Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM), Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Center for Advanced Materials (SICAM), Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211816, China

School of Electrical Engineering and Automation, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, Jiangxi 341000, China

Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8204, United States

Funding

China Postdoctoral Science Foundation · Jilin Provincial Scientific and Technological Development Program · National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars · China Scholarship Council · National Natural Science Foundation of China

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