IONIC · In-Operando characterizatioN of anti-ambipolar mIxed Conductors
Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2024-04-01 → 2026-03-31
- EU contribution
- €222,728
- Participants
- 2
- Scheme
- HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
In-Operando characterizatioN of anti-ambipolar mIxed Conductors
Conjugated organic polymers can be made conductive through charge introduction (doping), enabling flexible organic electronics. A special class of conducting polymers is organic mixed ion–electron conductors (OMIECs), which combine electronic conductivity with the ability to support ionic conduction. OMIECs are finding applications in advanced circuitry that is mimicking how the brain works, owing to their biocompatibility and similar working principles, but many of the mechanisms underlying their function are currently unknown. This is especially true for BBL, a ladder-type n-type polymer exhibiting anti-ambipolar behavior, in which charge injection initially increases conductivity, followed by a decrease at higher charge densities. Since the characteristics of materials such as BBL change drastically while under operation, it is imperative to measure these materials under working conditions (in-operando). Thereby, the Action "In-Operando characterizatioN of anti-ambipolar mIxed Conductors" is aimed at: 1) unravelling the ion-polymer interactions governing the anti-ambipolar behavior of BBL through novel advanced in-operando characterization, 2) describing the influence of typical polymer parameters (e.g., polymer length, polydispersity) on this behavior, and 3) generalizing the identified mechanisms to other ladder-type polymers. The results of this project will provide a mechanistic framework for these materials and thereby guide the research and development of n-type ladder-type OMIECs.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
This proposal concerns the fundamental properties of mixed ion-electron conducting polymers. These materials are biocompatible and conduct both ions and electrons, making them excellent candidates for bioelectronic applications interfacing with living tissue. The conductivity of these materials increases under bias by injecting ions and concerted doping of the semiconducting polymer. However, upon high doping the conductivity can no longer increase but rather decrease. The exhibited maximum, where any voltage change lowers the conductivity, amounts to an anti-ambipolar response which finds applications in biorealistic artificial neurons. The underlying mechanisms, however, remain unknown in part because of the inherent instability of highly doped polymer semiconductors. Without understanding the fundamentals of these materials, targeted optimization and development are inhibited. Additional complications arise from the complex environment in which they operate, consisting of ions and water. Their characteristics and response to doping are highly different in these conditions compared to ex-situ measurements, making in-operando characterization absolutely crucial. In-operando characterization is however not straightforward and requires specialized equipment.In this IONIC proposal, a research plan is described to investigate the fundamentals underlying anti-ambipolarity by designing and building novel in-operando measurement tools, and applying them to a uniquely stable ladder-type polymer. This unprecedented approach allows for characterizing, for the first time, the doping interactions throughout the anti-ambipolar regime.Project IONIC marks a major breakthrough in understanding organic semiconductor doping in electrolytes. The resulting general structure-property relations uncovered by the research described in this proposal will enable an intelligent design of material systems for exciting applications in bioelectronic interfacing and biomimicking circuitry.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- LINKOPINGS UNIVERSITET · LinkopingCoordinatorSweden
- UNIVERSITAET BERN · BernSwitzerland
Links
- View on CORDIS
- DOI: 10.3030/101148701
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e5128739b7&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e529d94d95&appId=PPGMS
Data: CORDIS, © European Union