Quantifying the Effects of Inhomogeneity and Doping on the Electronic Contribution to Thermal Conductivity in Semiconducting Polymers
Abstract
Quantifying contributions to thermal conductivity from electrons and atomic vibrations in doped semiconducting polymers is important for heat transfer. Several studies report Lorenz numbers (L) that are larger than the Sommerfeld limit (L0), counterintuitively implying that charge carriers in semiconducting polymers carry more heat than those in metals. Alternatively, this phenomenon can be explained by recognizing that semiconducting polymers often contain insulating and conducting domains. Microstructures can lead to misinterpretation of the effective Lorenz number (Leff) observed macroscopically. Herein, effective medium theory (EMT) shows that inhomogeneity can result in macroscopic measurements where Leff ≠ L0, even when each component exhibits L0 at the microscopic level. The authors then extend the semi‐localized transport (SLoT) model to explain the origins of the large Leff values, validating with the prototypical poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) system. This electro‐thermal extension of the SLoT model (ET‐SLoT) improves the ability to engineer the electronic contribution to thermal conductivity of semiconducting polymers.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Sep 02, 2022
- Source ID
- 10.1002/aelm.202200846
Entities
People
- Michael J. Adams
- Riley Hanus
- Samuel A. Graham
- Shannon K Yee
- Shawn Alan Gregory
Organizations
- Georgia Tech
- Office of Naval Research