Role of Disorder Induced by Doping on the Thermoelectric Properties of Semiconducting Polymers

TitleRole of Disorder Induced by Doping on the Thermoelectric Properties of Semiconducting Polymers
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2018
AuthorsThomas, Elayne M., Bhooshan C. Popere, Haiyu Fang, Michael L. Chabinyc, and Rachel A. Segalman
JournalChemistry of Materials
Volume30
Pagination2965–2972
ISSN0897-4756
Abstract

A fundamental understanding of charge transport in polymeric semiconductors requires knowledge of how the electrical conductivity varies with carrier density. The thermopower of semiconducting polymers is also a complex function of carrier density making it difficult to assess structure–property relationships for the thermoelectric power factor. We examined the thermoelectric properties of poly[2,5-bis(3-tetradecylthiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene] (pBTTT-C14) by measurements of an electrochemical transistor using a polymeric ionic liquid (PIL) gate dielectric that can modulate the carrier concentration from 4 × 1018 to 3 × 1020 cm–3. As carrier density increases, so does the concentration of associated counterions, leading to a greater degree of energetic disorder within the semiconductor. Using thermopower measurements, we show experimentally that the electronic density-of-states broadens with increasing carrier density in the semiconducting polymer. The origin of a commonly observed power law relationship between thermopower and electrical conductivity is discussed and related to the changes in the electronic density-of-states upon doping.

URLhttps://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.8b00394
DOI10.1021/acs.chemmater.8b00394