Molecules (Feb 2021)

Effect of Side Chain Substituent Volume on Thermoelectric Properties of IDT-Based Conjugated Polymers

  • De-Xun Xie,
  • Tong-Chao Liu,
  • Jing Xiao,
  • Jing-Kun Fang,
  • Cheng-Jun Pan,
  • Guang Shao

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26040963
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 26, no. 4
p. 963

Abstract

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A p-type thermoelectric conjugated polymer based on indacenodithiophene and benzothiadiazole is designed and synthesized by replacing normal aliphatic side chains (P1) with conjugated aromatic benzene substituents (P2). The introduced bulky substituent on P2 is detrimental to form the intensified packing of polymers, therefore, it hinders the efficient transporting of the charge carriers, eventually resulting in a lower conductivity compared to that of the polymers bearing aliphatic side chains (P1). These results reveal that the modification of side chains on conjugated polymers is crucial to rationally designed thermoelectric polymers with high performance.

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