Controlling conjugated polymer morphology by precise oxygen position in single-ether side chains
Pablo Durand, Huiyan Zeng, Badr Jismy, Olivier Boyron, Benoı̂t Heinrich, Laurent Herrmann, Olivier Bardagot, Ioannis Moutsios, Alina V. Mariasevskaia, A. P. Melnikov, Dimitri A. Ivanov, Martin Brinkmann, Nicolas Leclerc
Abstract
effect allowing the side chain to bend at the oxygen atom, the degree of crystallinity of polymers can be controlled by the position of the oxygen atom along the side chain. The further the oxygen atom is from the conjugated backbone, the more crystalline the polymer becomes. In addition, for all new polymers, high thermomechanical properties are demonstrated, leading to remarkable electrical conductivities and thermoelectric power factors in rub-aligned and sequentially doped thin films. This work confirms the potential of single-ether side chains to be used as polar solubilizing side chains for the design of a next generation of p- and n-type semiconducting polymers with increased affinity to polar dopants while maintaining high molecular order.