Understanding Oxygen-Induced Reactions and Their Impact on n-Type Polymeric Mixed Conductor-Based Devices
byPrem
D. Nayak, Busra Dereli, David Ohayon, Shofarul
Wustoni, Tania
C. Hidalgo Castillo, Victor Druet, Yazhou
Wang, Adel
Hama, Iain McCulloch, Luigi Cavallo, Sahika Inal
Electron transporting (n-type) polymeric mixed
conductors are an exciting class of materials for devices with aqueous
electrolyte interfaces, such as bioelectronic sensors, actuators, and soft
charge storage systems. However, their charge transport performance falls short
of their p-type counterparts, primarily due to electrochemical side reactions
such as the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). To mitigate ORR, a common strategy
in n-type organic semiconductor design focuses on lowering the lowest unoccupied
molecular orbital (LUMO) level. Despite empirical observations suggesting a
correlation between deep LUMO levels, low ORR, and enhanced electrochemical
cycling stability in water, this relationship lacks robust evidence. In this
work, we delve into the electrochemical reactions of n-type polymeric mixed
conductors with varying LUMO levels and assess the impact of ORR on charge
storage performance and organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) operation.
Our results reveal a limited correlation between LUMO levels and ORR currents,
as well as the electrochemical operational stability of the films. While ORR
currents minimally contribute to OECT channel currents under fixed biasing
conditions, n-type films self-discharge rapidly at floating potentials in a capacitor-like
configuration. The density functional theory analysis, complemented by X-ray
photoelectron spectroscopy, underscores the critical role of backbone chemistry
in controlling O2-related degradation
pathways and device performance losses. These findings highlight the persistent
challenge posed by ORR in n-type semiconductor design and advocate for shifting
the focus toward exploring chemical moieties with limited O2 interactions to enhance operational
stability and performance at n-type film/water interfaces.