skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Introducing Solubility Control for Improved Organic P-Type Dopants

Journal Article · · Chemistry of Materials

To overcome the poor solubility of the widely used p-type dopant 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4TCNQ), we have synthesized a series of structure-modified, organic p-type dopants to include alkyl ester groups designed to enable solubility and miscibility control. UV–vis–NIR and cyclic voltammetry measurements show increased solubility of mono- and diester substituted dopants with only modest changes to acceptor strength. Using absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and in-plane conductivity measurements, we demonstrate that the new dopants can successfully p-type dope poly(3-hexylthiophene- 2,5-diyl) (P3HT). Monoester substituted dopants are characterized by only slightly reduced electron affinity relative to F4TCNQ, but greater doping effectiveness due to increased miscibility with P3HT. Diester substituted dopants undergo a dimerization reaction before assuming their doped states, which may help anchor dopants into position post deposition, thus decreasing the negative effect of dopant drift and diffusion. Here, we conclude that increased dopant solubility/miscibility increases the overall effectiveness of doping in solution-cast polymer films and that ester modification is a practical approach to achieving solubility/miscibility control in TCNQ-type dopants.

Research Organization:
Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0010419
OSTI ID:
1924290
Journal Information:
Chemistry of Materials, Vol. 27, Issue 16; ISSN 0897-4756
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (63)

The path to ubiquitous and low-cost organic electronic appliances on plastic journal April 2004
Conjugated Polymer-Based Organic Solar Cells journal April 2007
Synthesis of Conjugated Polymers for Organic Solar Cell Applications journal November 2009
Doping of organic semiconductors journal December 2012
Enhanced Hole Injection into Amorphous Hole-Transport Layers of Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Using Controlled p-Type Doping journal August 2001
White organic light-emitting diodes: Status and perspective journal July 2013
Doping effects for organic photovoltaic cells based on small-molecular-weight semiconductors journal June 2009
Molecular Semiconductors in Organic Photovoltaic Cells journal November 2010
High-Performance Organic Field-Effect Transistors journal April 2009
Moderate doping leads to high performance of semiconductor/insulator polymer blend transistors journal March 2013
The effects of solvents on the morphology and sheet resistance in poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)–polystyrenesulfonic acid (PEDOT–PSS) films journal August 2003
PEDOT-Type Materials in Organic Solar Cells book June 2008
Highly Efficient Organic Devices Based on Electrically Doped Transport Layers journal April 2007
Polarons and bipolarons in doped polythiophene: A theoretical investigation journal August 1987
Bipolarons in poly(3-methylthiophene): Spectroscopic, magnetic, and electrochemical measurements journal November 1987
Localized Charge Transfer in a Molecularly Doped Conducting Polymer journal September 2007
Charge Transfer Absorption for π-Conjugated Polymers and Oligomers Mixed with Electron Acceptors journal May 2007
Charge Transfer in Molecular Complexes with 2,3,5,6-Tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F 4 -TCNQ): A Density Functional Theory Study journal December 2011
The effect of 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane charge transfer dopants on the conformation and aggregation of poly(3-hexylthiophene) journal January 2013
Electrical Properties of Organic Solids. II. Effects of Added Electron Acceptor on Metal‐Free Phthalocyanine journal April 1960
A comparison of experimental determinations of electron affinities of pi charge transfer complex acceptors journal October 1975
Negative ion properties of fluoranil, chloranil, and bromanil: Electron affinities journal January 1978
Electron transfer in a new highly conducting donor-acceptor complex journal February 1973
Negative ion properties of tetracyanoquinodimethan: Electron affinity and compound states journal May 1977
Molecular material‐based junctions: Formation of a Schottky contact with metallophthalocyanine thin films doped by the cosublimation method journal October 1986
Structural characterization and electrical conductivity of poly(phenylethynyl) copper doped with iodine and 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-p-benzoquinone journal March 1989
Charge-transfer doping of poly(3-alkyl-2,2′-bithiophene) journal May 1999
Effect of molecular p-doping on hole density and mobility in poly(3-hexylthiophene) journal April 2012
Optical measurement of doping efficiency in poly(3-hexylthiophene) solutions and thin films journal February 2015
Synthesis and Application of 1,3,4,5,7,8-Hexafluorotetracyanonaphthoquinodimethane (F6-TNAP): A Conductivity Dopant for Organic Light-Emitting Devices journal July 2010
Fermi level shift and doping efficiency in p -doped small molecule organic semiconductors: A photoelectron spectroscopy and theoretical study journal July 2012
An organic p-type dopant with high thermal stability for an organic semiconductor journal January 2008
Efficient Vacuum-Deposited Organic Solar Cells Based on a New Low-Bandgap Oligothiophene and Fullerene C60 journal November 2006
Investigation of C 60 F 36 as low-volatility p -dopant in organic optoelectronic devices journal May 2011
Ground-State Interaction and Electrical Doping of Fluorinated C 60 in Conjugated Polymers journal November 2009
The role of energy level matching in organic solar cells—Hexaazatriphenylene hexacarbonitrile as transparent electron transport material journal March 2011
High hole mobility through charge recombination interface in organic light-emitting diodes journal October 2011
Solution-processed hexaazatriphenylene hexacarbonitrile as a universal hole-injection layer for organic light-emitting diodes journal April 2013
Molecular doping of low-bandgap-polymer:fullerene solar cells: Effects on transport and solar cells journal February 2012
Synthesis and characterization of p-type conductivity dopant 2-(3-(adamantan-1-yl)propyl)-3,5,6-trifluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane journal January 2013
Materials and Applications for Large Area Electronics: Solution-Based Approaches journal January 2010
Effect of molecular symmetry on melting temperature and solubility journal January 2004
Electroluminescence from Substituted Poly(thiophenes): From Blue to Near-Infrared journal October 1995
Relationship between the ionization and oxidation potentials of molecular organic semiconductors journal February 2005
Controlled p -doping of zinc phthalocyanine by coevaporation with tetrafluorotetracyanoquinodimethane: A direct and inverse photoemission study journal December 2001
Two-Dimensional Electronic Excitations in Self-Assembled Conjugated Polymer Nanocrystals journal February 2000
Photoinduced Carrier Generation in P3HT/PCBM Bulk Heterojunction Materials journal February 2008
Impact of interfacial polymer morphology on photoexcitation dynamics and device performance in P3HT/ZnO heterojunctions journal January 2009
Chiroptical Properties of Regioregular Chiral Polythiophenes
  • Bouman, M. M.; Havinga, E. E.; Janssen, R. A. J.
  • Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals Science and Technology. Section A. Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals, Vol. 256, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1080/10587259408039274
journal November 1994
Controlling Morphology in Polymer–Fullerene Mixtures journal January 2008
The chemical and structural origin of efficient p-type doping in P3HT journal May 2013
Controlling Electrical Properties of Conjugated Polymers via a Solution-Based p-Type Doping journal September 2008
Comprehensive picture of p -type doping of P3HT with the molecular acceptor F 4 TCNQ journal March 2013
A general relationship between disorder, aggregation and charge transport in conjugated polymers journal August 2013
The impact of molecular weight on microstructure and charge transport in semicrystalline polymer semiconductors–poly(3-hexylthiophene), a model study journal December 2013
Role of Intermolecular Coupling in the Photophysics of Disordered Organic Semiconductors: Aggregate Emission in Regioregular Polythiophene journal May 2007
Effect of Trace Solvent on the Morphology of P3HT:PCBM Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells journal March 2011
Controlling microstructure in poly(3-hexylthiophene) nanofibers journal January 2012
Reversible Optical Control of Conjugated Polymer Solubility with Sub-micrometer Resolution journal January 2015
Effect of Crystallization on the Electronic Energy Levels and Thin Film Morphology of P3HT:PCBM Blends journal April 2011
Quenching of Excitons by Holes in Poly(3-hexylthiophene) Films journal May 2008
High work-function hole transport layers by self-assembly using a fluorinated additive journal January 2014
Microscopic Understanding of the Anisotropic Conductivity of PEDOT:PSS Thin Films journal May 2007

Cited By (1)

High-mobility, trap-free charge transport in conjugated polymer diodes text January 2019