Deposition Dependent Ion Transport in Doped Conjugated Polymer Films: Insights for Creating High‐Performance Electrochemical Devices

Abstract

Charge conduction and redox events in films of doped conjugated polymers are necessarily accompanied by counterion transport. However, insights into how deposition conditions affect ion transport in a structurally diverse set of doped conjugated polymer films and across a polymer/electrolyte interface have not been gathered. Here, cyclic voltammetry and electrogravimetry measurements are used to probe solvent and ion transport across a doped conjugated polymer/electrolyte interface. A representative polymer, p‐doped poly(3,4‐ethlyenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), obtained using two different deposition methods, vapor phase polymerization (VPP) and oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD), is studied. PEDOT films obtained via VPP and oCVD display dissimilar morphologies at the micro‐ and nanometer length scales, resulting in significantly differing swelling behavior, mass trapping, and ion transport upon exposure to a periodic applied potential. PEDOT films obtained using oCVD display notable permselectivity and near‐ideal mass transport during repeated doping/dedoping cycles in various electrolytes, indicating that these films are robust electroactive materials. This study underlines the extent to which film deposition conditions affect ion transport across polymer/electrolyte interfaces and provides insights into optimal film forming conditions for high‐performance supercapacitors and electrochemical transistors.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Oct 06, 2017
Source ID
10.1002/admi.201700873

Entities

People

  • Lushuai Zhang
  • Trisha L Andrew

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • University of Massachusetts

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Electrochemical Surface Science
  • Materials Science and Engineering.
  • Solar Photovoltaics and Thermoelectric Devices.