Mechanical failure of π-conjugated polymer thin films is unavoidable under cyclic loading conditions, due to intrinsic defects and poor resistance to crack propagation. Here, the first tear-resistant and roomtemperature self-healable semiconducting composites is presented, consisting of conjugated polymers and butyl rubber elastomers. This new composite displays both record-low elastic modulus (< 1 MPa) and ultra-high deformability with fracture strain above 800%. More importantly, failure behavior is not sensitive to precut notches under deformation. Autonomous self-healing at room temperature, both mechanical and electronic, is demonstrated through physical contact of two separate films. The composite film also shows device stability in the ambient environment over five months due to muchimproved barrier property to both oxygen and water. Butyl rubber is broadly applicable to various Ptype and N-type semiconducting polymers for fabricating self-healable electronics to provide new resilient electronics that mimic the tear resistance and healable property of human skin.

Organic semiconductor materials have been promising alternatives to their inorganic counterparts in several electronic applications such as solar cells, light emitting diodes, field effect transistors as well as thermoelectric generators. Their low cost, light weight and flexibility make them appealing in future applications such as foldable electronics and wearable circuits using printing techniques. In this report, we present a mini-review on the organic materials that have been used for thermoelectric energy generation. The reduction in the effects of climate change, caused by the burning of fossil fuels, has recently been given increased emphasis by major world governments and it is therefore necessary to consider the efficiency of the methods we currently use to generate energy. It has previously been estimated that 63% of global energy consumption is wasted with the major form of this waste being heat.1,2 It is therefore important to develop methods of reconverting this wasted heat back in to useful forms of energy, such as electricity.Thermoelectric generators (TEG) are a promising technology which make use of a process known as the Seebeck effect for heat recovery. The Seebeck effect can be described as two dissimilar conductors or semiconductors connected thermally in parallel and electrically in series and exposed to a temperature gradient causing a difference in voltage between the two materials.3,4 In a TEG one p-type and one ntype semiconductor make use of the Seebeck effect by connecting one to the other electrically in series and thermally in parallel; a general device setup is shown in Figure 1. By connecting the two components, by a junction which is heated, the n-type component of the device transports electrons from the hot junction to a heat sink while the p-type material transports positively charged holes along the same direction of the temperature gradient. The reverse is also possible if the holes and electrons flow away from a cold connecting junction to a heated point at the end of each semiconductor, this induces a constant cooling at the junction through the Peltier effect. 4,5The quantification of the Seebeck effect, in a specific material, is given by the Seebeck coefficient, α, and is the open circuit voltage of a material subjected to a temperature gradient, commonly with units on the scale of μVK −1 to mVK −1 . 6 A materials overall efficiency in the conversion of heat to electricity is given by the dimensionless figure of merit, ZT, defined as,where σ is the electrical conductivity and κ is the thermal conductivity. [6][7][8] It is therefore necessary for thermoelectric materials to have a high electrical conductivity and a low thermal conductivity making electrically conducting metals inappropriate for thermoelectric applications due to their high thermal conductivities and low z E-mail: m.j.carnie@swansea.ac.uk; derya.baran@kaust.edu.sa; b.c.schroeder@qmul .ac.uk Seebeck coefficients. The ideal thermoelectric materials should be an electrical crystal to maximize σ and at the s...

N-Alkyl naphthalene diimides show a highly versatile thermally-induced polymorphic behavior, including liquid crystalline mesophases, fully characterized in powders and thin films by combining thermal, diffraction and imaging techniques.

The addition of sulfenes to substituted enaminoketones, followed by a facile Cope elimination, provides efficient access to a diverse series of 1,2-oxathiine 2,2-dioxides.

The structure of a self-doping naphthalenetetracarboxylic diimide was found to be the product of unexpected chemical reactions. The effect a mixed chemical composition has on the doped film morphology and electronic performance is also reported.