Issue 8, 2022

Concepts and principles of self-n-doping in perylene diimide chromophores for applications in biochemistry, energy harvesting, energy storage, and catalysis

Abstract

Self-doping is an essential method of increasing carrier concentrations in organic electronics that eliminates the need to tailor host—dopant miscibility, a necessary step when employing molecular dopants. Self-n-doping can be accomplished using amines or ammonium counterions as an electron source, which are being incorporated into an ever-increasingly diverse range of organic materials spanning many applications. Self-n-doped materials have demonstrated exemplary and, in many cases, benchmark performances in a variety of applications. However, an in-depth review of the method is lacking. Perylene diimide (PDI) chromophores are an important mainstay in the semiconductor literature with well-known structure-function characteristics and are also one of the most widely utilized scaffolds for self-n-doping. In this review, we describe the unique properties of self-n-doped PDIs, delineate structure-function relationships, and discuss self-n-doped PDI performance in a range of applications. In particular, the impact of amine/ammonium incorporation into the PDI scaffold on doping efficiency is reviewed with regard to attachment mode, tether distance, counterion selection, and steric encumbrance. Self-n-doped PDIs are a unique set of PDI structural derivatives whose properties are amenable to a broad range of applications such as biochemistry, solar energy conversion, thermoelectric modules, batteries, and photocatalysis. Finally, we discuss challenges and the future outlook of self-n-doping principles.

Graphical abstract: Concepts and principles of self-n-doping in perylene diimide chromophores for applications in biochemistry, energy harvesting, energy storage, and catalysis

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
04 mar 2022
Accepted
31 may 2022
First published
02 iyn 2022

Mater. Horiz., 2022,9, 2026-2052

Author version available

Concepts and principles of self-n-doping in perylene diimide chromophores for applications in biochemistry, energy harvesting, energy storage, and catalysis

D. Powell and L. Whittaker-Brooks, Mater. Horiz., 2022, 9, 2026 DOI: 10.1039/D2MH00279E

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