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- Zokaei, Sepideh, 1991, et al.
(author)
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Tuning of the elastic modulus of a soft polythiophene through molecular doping
- 2022
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In: Materials Horizons. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2051-6355 .- 2051-6347. ; 9:1, s. 433-443
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Molecular doping of a polythiophene with oligoethylene glycol side chains is found to strongly modulate not only the electrical but also the mechanical properties of the polymer. An oxidation level of up to 18% results in an electrical conductivity of more than 52 S cm(-1) and at the same time significantly enhances the elastic modulus from 8 to more than 200 MPa and toughness from 0.5 to 5.1 MJ m(-3). These changes arise because molecular doping strongly influences the glass transition temperature T-g and the degree of pi-stacking of the polymer, as indicated by both X-ray diffraction and molecular dynamics simulations. Surprisingly, a comparison of doped materials containing mono- or dianions reveals that - for a comparable oxidation level - the presence of multivalent counterions has little effect on the stiffness. Evidently, molecular doping is a powerful tool that can be used for the design of mechanically robust conducting materials, which may find use within the field of flexible and stretchable electronics.
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