December 1 - 6, 2024
Boston, Massachusetts

Event Supporters

2024 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit
SB04.09/SB09.05.03

Better Organic Semiconductors Through Liquid Purification

When and Where

Dec 4, 2024
4:15pm - 4:30pm
Hynes, Level 3, Room 309

Presenter(s)

Co-Author(s)

Alexander Giovannitti1,Jessica Vasquez1,Megan Westwood1

Chalmers University of Technology1

Abstract

Alexander Giovannitti1,Jessica Vasquez1,Megan Westwood1

Chalmers University of Technology1
Organic semiconducting polymers often contain side products from synthesis that can alter the photophysical and electrochemical properties of polymers. Especially metal traces and organic compounds from synthesis (catalyst and ligands) often remain in the polymer with current purification methods, creating challenges to investigating the real properties of the organic semiconducting polymer. When these impure polymers are employed as the active electrode in heterogeneous electrocatalysis, the remaining metal ion impurities (Pd, Pt, etc.) can result in an overestimation of the electrocatalytic performance (1).<br/>In my talk, I will show how we employ high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to purify polymers by removing metal traces and other organic side products. When comparing the neat polymer to the purified polymers, we observe a clear trend for the electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), where a metal-free polymer undergoes the two-electron reaction, forming hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) as the main product, while Pd-containing polymers increase the selectivity towards the four-electron process to form water (H<sub>2</sub>O). Finally, we fractionate polymers by molecular weight and show that polymers with higher molecular weight achieve higher electrochemical stability during continuous operation.<br/><br/>(1) De La Fuente Durán, A, <i>et. al,</i> Energy Environ. Sci., 2023,16, 5409-5422

Keywords

polymer

Symposium Organizers

Maria Asplund, Chalmers University of Technology
Fabio Cicoira, Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal
Anna Herland, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Donata Iandolo, INSERM

Session Chairs

Alexander Giovannitti
Anna Herland

In this Session