Operando studies of mixed-conduction polymers: Microstructural effects and carrier-induced ordering

New families of conjugated polymers are being investigated as mixed conductors in applications as varied as biosensing, electrocatalysis and brain-like computing. Great advances are being made in developing materials properties and in device design and integration. A fundamental understanding of “how they work” is however still missing. In this talk I will show how we use a suite of state-of-the-art <i>operando</i> techniques, spectroscopic and diffraction-based implemented during electrochemical biasing to study organic mixed conductors and answer basic questions. In particular, we elucidate the effect of electrolyte and charge density on structure and properties, namely carrier mobility. Most of these materials are semicrystalline and microstructure has an effect on their operation. We find that charge density affects structure, which in turn affects the ability of the semiconductor to conduct charges