APS March Meeting 2016
Volume 61, Number 2
Monday–Friday, March 14–18, 2016;
Baltimore, Maryland
Session V4: Where Morphology Meets Functionality: Light and Electron Transporting Polymeric Complexes
2:30 PM–5:30 PM,
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Room: Ballroom IV
Sponsoring
Unit:
DPOLY
Chair: Enrique Gomez, Pennsylvania State University
Abstract ID: BAPS.2016.MAR.V4.3
Abstract: V4.00003 : Making Glasses Conduct: Electrochemical Doping of Redox-Active Polymer Thin Films
3:42 PM–4:18 PM
Preview Abstract
Abstract
Author:
Bryan Boudouris
(Purdue University)
Optoelectronically-active macromolecules have been established as promising
materials in myriad organic electronic applications (e.g., organic
field-effect transistors (OFETs) and organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices). To
date, however, the majority of the work surrounding these materials has
focused on materials with a great deal of conjugation along their
macromolecular backbones and with varying degrees of crystalline structure.
Here, we describe an emerging class of macromolecular charge conductors,
radical polymers, that: (1) do not contain conjugation and (2) are
completely amorphous glasses. Radical polymers contain non-conjugated
macromolecular backbones and stable radical sites along the side chains of
the electronically-active materials. In contrast to conjugated polymer
systems, these materials conduct charge in the solid state through
oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions along these pendant groups.
Specifically, we demonstrate that controlling the chemical functionality of
the pendant groups and the molecular mobility of the macromolecular
backbones significantly impacts the charge transport ability of the pristine
(i.e., not doped) radical polymers species. Through proper control of these
crucial parameters, we show that radical polymers can have electrical
conductivity and charge mobility values on par with commonly-used conjugated
polymers. Importantly, we also highlight the ability to dope radical
polymers with redox-active small molecule species. This doping, in turn,
increases the electrical conductivity of the glassy radical polymer thin
films in a manner akin to what is observed in traditional conjugated polymer
systems. In this way, we establish a means by which to fabricate
optically-transparent and colorless thin film glasses capable of conducting
charge in a rather rapid manner. We anticipate that these fundamental
insights will prove crucial in developing new transparent conducting layers
for future electronic applications.
To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2016.MAR.V4.3