journal article·2026-01Open access

Efficient n‐Doping of Organic Semiconductors via a Broadly Applicable Nucleophilic‐Attack Mechanism

Huan Wei, Tong Wu, Chuanding Dong, Chen Chen, Zhenqi Gong, Jiangnan Xia, Chengyuan Peng, Jiaqi Ding, Yu Zhang, Wenpei Shi, Stefan Schumacher, Xue Zhang, Yugang Bai, Lang Jiang, Lei Liao, Thuc‐Quyen Nguyen, Yuanyuan Hu

Advanced Science· Volume 13· Issue 6

Abstract

Abstract The development of efficient and broadly applicable n‐doping strategies for organic semiconductors (OSCs) is crucial for advancing the performance of various organic electronic devices. Here, a novel nucleophilic‐attack n‐doping mechanism is unveiled that achieves exceptionally high conductivity in doped OSC films and demonstrates broad applicability across OSCs. The remarkable efficacy of n‐Butyl lithium (n‐BuLi) is highlighted in n‐doping C 60 and PC 61 BM, achieving a conductivity of 1.27 S cm −1 and 2.57 S cm −1 , respectively, which are among the highest reported values for these materials. The investigation reveals that the n‐BuLi anion interacts with electron‐deficient units in OSCs, generating a carbanion that facilitates efficient electron transfer for n‐doping. This mechanism is further validated across diverse fullerenes, polymeric, and small molecule OSCs, and is extendable to other high‐performance dopants such as tert‐Butyllithium (tert‐BuLi) and sodium ethoxide (NaOEt). Device studies show that n‐BuLi‐doped C 60 enables substantially improved diode rectification, attributed to greater junction built‐in potential. These findings establish a unified chemical‐bonding‐based n‐doping paradigm, complementing existing electrophilic‐attack p‐doping concepts, and pave the way for achieving efficient doping of OSCs for advanced organic electronic applications.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics · Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Research · Conducting polymers and applications

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

Affiliations

Changsha Semiconductor Technology and Application Innovation Research Institute College of Semiconductors (College of Integrated Circuits) Hunan University Changsha 410082 China

International Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Base for Advanced Display Technologies of Hunan Province School of Physics and Electronics Hunan University Changsha 410082 China

Engineering Research Center for Nanomaterials Henan University Kaifeng 475004 China

State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Hunan University Changsha 410082 China

Department of Physics and Center for Optoelectronics and Photonics Paderborn (CeOPP) Paderborn University Warburger Strasse 100 33098 Paderborn Germany

Science and Technology on Advanced Ceramic Fibers and Composites Laboratory College of Aerospace Science and Engineering National University of Defense Technology Changsha 410000 China

Spin‐X Institute School of Microelectronics South China University of Technology Guangzhou 511442 China

College of Chemical Engineering Hebei University of Technology Tianjin 300401 China

Center for Polymers and Organic Solids Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry University of California at Santa Barbara Santa Barbara CA 93106 USA

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China · Science, Technology and Innovation Commission of Shenzhen Municipality · Key Technologies Research and Development Program

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