Imaging of morphological changes and phase segregation in doped polymeric semiconductors

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Felix Deschler - , Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, University of Cambridge (Author)
  • Daniel Riedel - , Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, OSRAM Licht AG (Author)
  • Andras Deák - , Centre for Energy Research (Author)
  • Bernhard Ecker - , University of Freiburg, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Author)
  • Elizabeth Von Hauff - , University of Freiburg, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Author)
  • Enrico Da Como - , University of Bath (Author)

Abstract

The electrical conductivity and morphological characteristics of two conjugated polymers, P3HT and PCPDTBT, p-doped with the strong electron acceptor tetrafluoro-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4-TCNQ) are studied as a function of dopant concentration. By combining scanning and transmission electron microscopy, SEM and TEM, with electrical characterization, we observe a correlation between the saturation in electrical conductivity and the formation of dopant rich clusters. We demonstrate that SEM is a useful technique to observe imaging contrast for locating doped regions in thin polymer films, while in parallel monitoring the surface morphology. The results are relevant for the understanding of structure property relationships in doped conjugated polymers.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)381-387
Number of pages7
JournalSynthetic metals
Volume199
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2015
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

Keywords

  • Conjugated polymer, Donor acceptor, Doping, Electron microscopy, TCNQ