Issue 10, 2023

Synthesis and exceptional operational durability of polyaniline-inspired conductive ladder polymers

Abstract

Ladder-type structures can impart exceptional stability to polymeric electronic materials. This article introduces a new class of conductive polymers featuring a fully ladder-type backbone. A judicious molecular design strategy enables the synthesis of a low-defect ladder polymer, which can be efficiently oxidized and acid-doped to achieve its conductive state. The structural elucidation of this polymer and the characterization of its open-shell nature are facilitated with the assistance of studies on small molecular models. An autonomous robotic system is used to optimize the conductivity of the polymer thin film, achieving over 7 mS cm−1. Impressively, this polymer demonstrates unparalleled stability in strong acid and under harsh UV-irradiation, significantly surpassing commercial benchmarks like PEDOT:PSS and polyaniline. Moreover, it displays superior durability across numerous redox cycles as the active material in an electrochromic device and as the pseudocapacitive material in a supercapacitor device. This work provides structural design guidance for durable conductive polymers for long-term device operation.

Graphical abstract: Synthesis and exceptional operational durability of polyaniline-inspired conductive ladder polymers

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
09 Jun 2023
Accepted
05 Jul 2023
First published
14 Jul 2023

Mater. Horiz., 2023,10, 4354-4364

Author version available

Synthesis and exceptional operational durability of polyaniline-inspired conductive ladder polymers

M. Leng, N. Koripally, J. Huang, A. Vriza, K. Y. Lee, X. Ji, C. Li, M. Hays, Q. Tu, K. Dunbar, J. Xu, T. N. Ng and L. Fang, Mater. Horiz., 2023, 10, 4354 DOI: 10.1039/D3MH00883E

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