The thermoelectric properties of a highperformance electron-conducting polymer, (P(NDIOD-T2), extrinsically doped with dihydro-1H-benzoimidazol-2-yl (NDBI) derivatives, are reported. The highest thermoelectric power factor that has been reported for a solution-processed n-type polymer is achieved; and it is concluded that engineering polymerdopant miscibility is essential for the development of organic thermoelectrics.

Identifying how small molecular acceptors pack with polymer donors in thin and thick (bulk) films is critical to understanding the nature of electrical doping by charge transfer. In this study, the packing structure of the molecular acceptor tetrafluorotetracyanoquinodimethane (F4TCNQ) with the semiconducting polymer poly­(2,5-bis­(3-tetradecylthiophen-2-yl)­thieno­[3,2-b]­thiophene) (PBTTT-C14) is examined. A combination of solid-state NMR, synchrotron X-ray scattering, and optical spectroscopy was used to determine the packing motif for blends of PBTTT-C14 and F4TCNQ in thin and bulk films. These results indicate that F4TCNQ and PBTTT-C14 order in a cofacial arrangement where charge transfer is near 100% efficient in the solid state. These results provide crucial insights into the structures and compositions of ordered domains in doped semiconducting polymers and suggest a model for the microstructure where the location of the molecular acceptors are correlated rather than randomly dispersed.

A new class of high-performance n-type organic thermoelectric materials, self-doping perylene diimide derivatives with modified side chains, is reported. These materials achieve the highest n-type thermoelectric performance of solution-processed organic materials reported to date, with power factors as high as 1.4 μW/mK(2). These results demonstrate that molecular design is a promising strategy for enhancing organic thermoelectric performance.

One method to improve the conductivity of conjugated polymers, like poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT), is to “chemically dope” them analogous to inorganic materials. One electron acceptor that has been used in tandem to p‐doped P3HT is 2,3,5,6‐tetrafluoro‐7,7,8,8‐tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4TCNQ), and recently there has been much interest in the nature of the interactions between F4TCNQ and P3HT in the solution phase. To date, however, there are few reports that investigate the behavior of F4TCNQ‐doped P3HT in binary solvent mixtures. The study reported herein is an investigation of F4TCNQ‐doped P3HT in mixtures of chloroform (CF) with dichloromethane (DCM) or acetonitrile (AcN), wherein variations in the doping efficiency in these mixtures are observed using UV–vis absorption, Raman, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopic techniques. The contrasting solubility and charge transfer behavior of F4TCNQ‐doped P3HT in CF:DCM and CF:AcN show that judicious selection of solvent mixtures may be exploited to improve the doping efficiency and solution processability of p‐doped P3HT dispersions.