Factors controlling electrochemical coping in conjugated polymer mixed ionic electronic conductors
Jenny Nelson a, Hang Yu a, Guanchen Wu a, Iona Anderson a, Rita Yang a, Nikolas Siemons a, Piers R. F. Barnes a
a Department of Physics, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
Proceedings of MATSUS Spring 2026 Conference (MATSUSSpring26)
B3 Chemical and Electrochemical Doping of Organic Semiconductors
Barcelona, Spain, 2026 March 23rd - 27th
Organizers: Mariano Campoy Quiles and Christian Müller
Invited Speaker, Jenny Nelson, presentation 775
Publication date: 15th December 2025

Conjugated polymer based mixed ionic and electronic conductors are attractive materials for a variety of electrochemical applications including sensors, water compatible electronics, electrochromics, and energy storage devices [1].  They are also model systems to study the properties of the organic semiconductor under controlled electrochemical doping. While applied electrochemical bias generally increases the density of polarons in the polymer, the specific response depends on the chemical structure of the polymer’s backbone and side chains, the choice and concentration of electrolyte and the charging conditions. We show how small changes in chemical structure or environment can strongly influence the charging process and performance of electrochemical devices e.g. [2,3]. Using operando measurements and molecular modelling we explain the behavior in terms of interactions between polymer, ions and electrolyte. The findings can help to design improved conjugated polymer electrodes for aqueous environments.

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