A solution-processed n-type conducting polymer with ultrahigh conductivity

Flexible conduction of electrons made easier

31 May 2023

An easy-to-make, flexible polymer that conducts electrons with an ultrahigh conductivity is promising for applications such as wearable electronics and touch screens.

Conducting polymers are attracting interest for uses that require flexible electronics. The best performing conducting polymers developed to date conduct ‘holes’ — the positive counterparts of electrons, but electron-conducting polymers are desirable for some applications.

Now, a team led by researchers from SUSTech in Shenzhen, China, has succeeded in making a electron-conducting polymer that is both easy to fabricate and boasts a conductivity approaching those of some metals.

Unlike previous electron-conducting polymers, the new one can be made in oxygen, which will substantially cut the cost to manufacture it on an industrial scale.

To demonstrate the potential of the polymer, the team used it in thermoelectric devices and organic electrochemical transistors.

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References

1. Nature 611, 271–277 (2022). doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-05295-8