Abdellah Malti

Optimization of the thermoelectric figure of merit in the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)

Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) transform a heat flow into electricity. Thermoelectric materials are being investigated for electricity production from waste heat (co-generation) and natural heat sources. For temperatures below 200 °C, the best commercially available inorganic semiconductors are bismuth telluride (Bi(2)Te(3))-based alloys, which possess a figure of merit ZT close to one. Most of the recently discovered thermoelectric materials with ZT>2 exhibit one common property, namely their low lattice thermal conductivities. Nevertheless, a high ZT value is not enough to create a viable technology platform for energy harvesting. To generate electricity from large volumes of warm fluids, heat exchangers must be functionalized with TEGs. This requires thermoelectric materials that are readily synthesized, air stable, environmentally friendly and solution processable to create patterns on large areas. Here we show that conducting polymers might be capable of meeting these demands. The accurate control of the oxidation level in poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) combined with its low intrinsic thermal conductivity (λ=0.37 W m(-1) K(-1)) yields a ZT=0.25 at room temperature that approaches the values required for efficient devices.

An Organic Mixed Ion–Electron Conductor for Power Electronics

A mixed ionic–electronic conductor based on nanofibrillated cellulose composited with poly(3,4‐ethylene‐dioxythiophene):poly(styrene‐sulfonate) along with high boiling point solvents is demonstrated in bulky electrochemical devices. The high electronic and ionic conductivities of the resulting nanopaper are exploited in devices which exhibit record values for the charge storage capacitance (1F) in supercapacitors and transconductance (1S) in electrochemical transistors.

Ultra-low voltage air-stable polyelectrolyte gated n-type organic thin film transistors

Complementary circuits, processing digital signals, are a cornerstone of modern electronics. Such circuits require both p- and n-type transistors. Polyelectrolytes are used as gate insulators in organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) to establish an electric double layer capacitor upon gate bias that allows low operational voltages (<1 V). However, stable and low-voltage operating n-channel organic transistors have proven difficult to construct. Here, we report ultra-low voltage n-channel organic polymer-based transistors that are stable in ambient atmosphere. Our n-type OTFTs exhibit on/off ratios around 103 for an applied drain potential as low as 0.1 V. Since small ions are known to promote electrochemical reactions within the semiconductor’s channel bulk and typically slow down the transistor, we use a solid polycationic gate insulator that suppresses penetration of anions into the n-channel semiconductor. As a result, our n-channel OTFTs switch on in under 5 ms and off in less than 1 ms.

Freestanding electrochromic paper

Electrochromic displays based on conducting polymers exhibit higher contrasts and are cheaper, faster, more durable, and easier to synthesize as well as to process than their non-polymeric counterparts. However, current devices are typically based on thin electrochromic layers on top of a reflecting surface, which limits the thickness of the polymer layer to a few hundred nanometers. Here, we embed a light-scattering material within the electrochromic material to achieve a freestanding electrochromic paper-like electrode (50 to 500 μm). The device is based on a cellulose composite combining PEDOT:PSS as the electrochromic material and TiO2 nanoparticles as the reflecting material. Owing to the excellent refractive properties of TiO2, this nanocomposite is white in the neutral state and, when reduced, turns blue resulting in a color contrast around 30. The composite has a granular morphology and, as shown by AFM, an intermingling of TiO2 and PEDOT:PSS at the surface. Variation of the amount of TiO2 within the composite material is shown to result in a trade-off in optical and electrical properties. A proof-of-concept freestanding electrochromic device was fabricated by casting all layers successively to maximize the interlayer conformation. This freestanding device was found to be stable for over 100 cycles when ramped between 3 and −3 V.

An Electrochromic Bipolar Membrane Diode

Conducting polymers with bipolar membranes (a complementary stack of selective membranes) may be used to rectify current. Integrating a bipolar membrane into a polymer electrochromic display obviates the need for an addressing backplane while increasing the devices bistability. Such devices can be made from solution-processable materials.

Low-voltage ambipolar polyelectrolyte-gated organic thin film transistors

Organic transistors that use polyelectrolytes as gate insulators can be driven at very low voltages (andlt;1 V). The low operating voltage is possible thanks to the formation of electric double lay ...