4.7 Article

Correlation of Thermoelectric Performance, Domain Morphology and Doping Level in PEDOT:PSS Thin Films Post-Treated with Ionic Liquids

Journal

MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
Volume 42, Issue 20, Pages -

Publisher

WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH
DOI: 10.1002/marc.202100397

Keywords

GISAXS; ionic liquids; morphology; PEDOT; PSS; thermoelectric thin films

Funding

  1. Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany's Excellence Strategy [EXC 2089/1 -390776260]
  2. TUM.solar in the context of the Bavarian Collaborative Research Project Solar Technologies Go Hybrid (SolTech)
  3. Center for NanoScience (CeNS)
  4. International Research Training Group 2022 Alberta/Technical University of Munich International Graduate School for Environmentally Responsible Functional Hybrid Materials (ATUMS)
  5. China Scholarship Council (CSC)
  6. Projekt DEAL

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The study compares the effects of different ionic liquids on the post-treatment of PEDOT:PSS thin films and shows that by adjusting the doping levels, the Seebeck coefficient and conductivity are enhanced, leading to an increased power factor of the film. Ionic liquid treatment helps optimize the distribution of PEDOT domains, improving film interconductivity and conductivity.
Ionic liquid (IL) post-treatment of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) thin films with ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide (EMIM DCA), allyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide (AMIM DCA), and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetracyanoborate (EMIM TCB) is compared. Doping level modifications of PEDOT are characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy and directly correlate with the observed Seebeck coefficient enhancement. With conductive atomic force microscopy (c-AFM) the authors investigate changes in the topographic-current features of the PEDOT:PSS thin film surface due to IL treatment. Grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) demonstrates the morphological rearrangement towards an optimized PEDOT domain distribution upon IL post-treatment, directly facilitating the interconductivity and causing an increased film conductivity. Based on these improvements in Seebeck coefficient and conductivity, the power factor is increased up to 236 mu W m(-1)K(-)(2). Subsequently, a model is developed indicating that ILs, which contain small, sterically unhindered ions with a strong localized charge, appear beneficial to boost the thermoelectric performance of post-treated PEDOT:PSS films.

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