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Gwiazda M, Lidster BJ, Waters C, Wongpanich J, Turner ML. Surfactant-Free Preparation of Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles in Aqueous Dispersions Using Sulfate Functionalized Fluorene Monomers. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:27040-27046. [PMID: 39298286 PMCID: PMC11450809 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c08985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2024] [Revised: 09/05/2024] [Accepted: 09/10/2024] [Indexed: 09/21/2024]
Abstract
Conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CPNs) can be synthesized by a Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling miniemulsion polymerization to give stable dispersions with a high concentration of uniform nanoparticles. However, large amounts of added surfactants are required to stabilize the miniemulsion and prevent the aggregation of the nanoparticles. Removal of the excess surfactant is challenging, and residual surfactant in thin films deposited from these dispersions can reduce the performance of optoelectronic devices. We report a novel approach to prepare stable dispersions with no added surfactant using a fluorene monomer, 2,7-dibromo-9,9-bis(undecanesulfate)-9H-fluorene, with alkyl side chains terminated by negatively charged sulfate groups. This functionality mimics the structure of one of the most commonly used surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). This charged monomer effectively stabilizes the miniemulsion through electrostatic repulsion without the use of any additional surfactant in molar ratios ranging from 2.0 to 20.0 mol % of total monomer content for the preparation of poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) (PFO) and poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-alt-bithiophene) (PF8T2). Incorporation of 5.0 mol % of the amphiphilic monomer gave stable dispersions with a surface potential below -40 mV and, and polymers with molar mass (Mn) above 10 kg mol-1. This method should be generally applicable to the preparation of dispersions of polyfluorenes for application in organic electronic and optoelectronic devices without the requirement for time-consuming processes to remove residual surfactant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcin Gwiazda
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K.
| | - Benjamin J. Lidster
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K.
| | - Charlotte Waters
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K.
| | - Jaruphat Wongpanich
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K.
| | - Michael L. Turner
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K.
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Kesornsit S, Direksilp C, Phasuksom K, Thummarungsan N, Sakunpongpitiporn P, Rotjanasuworapong K, Sirivat A, Niamlang S. Synthesis of Highly Conductive Poly(3-hexylthiophene) by Chemical Oxidative Polymerization Using Surfactant Templates. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14183860. [PMID: 36146004 PMCID: PMC9503232 DOI: 10.3390/polym14183860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) was systematically synthesized by chemical oxidative polymerization in chloroform with ferric chloride (FeCl3) as the oxidizing agent and various surfactants of the shape templates. The effects of 3HT: FeCl3 mole ratios, polymerization times, and surfactant types and concentrations on the electrical conductivity, particle shape and size were systematically investigated. Furthermore, dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA), p-toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate (AOT) were utilized as the surfactant templates. The P3HT synthesized with DBSA at 6 CMC, where CMC stands for the Critical Micelle Concentration of surfactant, provided a higher electrical conductivity than those with PTSA, SDS and AOT. The highest electrical conductivity of P3HT using DBSA was 16.21 ± 1.55 S cm−1 in which the P3HT particle shape was spherical with an average size of 1530 ± 227 nm. The thermal analysis indicated that the P3HT synthesized with the surfactants yielded higher stability and char yields than that of P3HT without. The P3HT_DBSA electrical conductivity was further enhanced by de-doping and doping with HClO4. At the 10:1 doping mole ratio, the electrical conductivity of dP3HT_DBSA increased by one order of magnitude relative to P3HT_DBSA prior to the de-doping. The highest electrical conductivity of dP3HT_DBSA obtained was 172 ± 5.21 S cm−1 which is the highest value relative to previously reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanhanut Kesornsit
- Conductive and Electroactive Polymers Research Unit, The Petroleum and Petrochemical College, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Chatrawee Direksilp
- Conductive and Electroactive Polymers Research Unit, The Petroleum and Petrochemical College, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Center of Excellence on Petrochemical and Materials Technology (PETROMAT), Chulalongkorn University Research Building, Soi Chula 12, Phayathai Road, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Katesara Phasuksom
- Conductive and Electroactive Polymers Research Unit, The Petroleum and Petrochemical College, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Center of Excellence on Petrochemical and Materials Technology (PETROMAT), Chulalongkorn University Research Building, Soi Chula 12, Phayathai Road, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Natlita Thummarungsan
- Conductive and Electroactive Polymers Research Unit, The Petroleum and Petrochemical College, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Center of Excellence on Petrochemical and Materials Technology (PETROMAT), Chulalongkorn University Research Building, Soi Chula 12, Phayathai Road, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Phimchanok Sakunpongpitiporn
- Conductive and Electroactive Polymers Research Unit, The Petroleum and Petrochemical College, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Kornkanok Rotjanasuworapong
- Conductive and Electroactive Polymers Research Unit, The Petroleum and Petrochemical College, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Anuvat Sirivat
- Conductive and Electroactive Polymers Research Unit, The Petroleum and Petrochemical College, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Center of Excellence on Petrochemical and Materials Technology (PETROMAT), Chulalongkorn University Research Building, Soi Chula 12, Phayathai Road, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Correspondence: (A.S.); (S.N.); Tel.: +66-2-218-4131 (A.S.); Fax: +66-2-611-7221 (A.S.)
| | - Sumonman Niamlang
- Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, Pathumthani 12110, Thailand
- Correspondence: (A.S.); (S.N.); Tel.: +66-2-218-4131 (A.S.); Fax: +66-2-611-7221 (A.S.)
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Facile synthesis of water-dispersible poly(3-hexylthiophene) nanoparticles with high yield and excellent colloidal stability. iScience 2022; 25:104220. [PMID: 35494232 PMCID: PMC9044166 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
There has been growing interest in water-processable conjugated polymers for biocompatible devices. However, some broadly used conjugated polymers like poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) are hydrophobic and they cannot be processed in water. We herein report a facile yet highly efficient assembly method to prepare water-dispersible pyridine-containing P3HT (Py-P3HT) nanoparticles (NPs) with a high yield (>80%) and a fine size below 100 nm. It is based on the fast nanoprecipitation of Py-P3HT stabilized by hydrophilic poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). Py-P3HT can form spherical NPs at a concentration up to 0.2 mg/mL with a diameter of ∼75 nm at a very low concentration of PAA, e.g., 0.01-0.1 mg/mL, as surface ligands. Those negatively charged Py-P3HT NPs can bind with metal cations and further support the growth of noble metal NPs like Ag and Au. Our self-assembly methodology potentially opens new doors to process and directly use hydrophobic conjugated polymers in a much broader context.
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Amphiphilic PTB7-Based Rod-Coil Block Copolymer for Water-Processable Nanoparticles as an Active Layer for Sustainable Organic Photovoltaic: A Case Study. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14081588. [PMID: 35458337 PMCID: PMC9029162 DOI: 10.3390/polym14081588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
We synthetized a new rod-coil block copolymer (BCP) based on the semiconducting polymerpoly({4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene-2,6-diyl}{3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl)carbonyl]thieno[3,4-b]thiophenediyl}) (PTB7) and poly-4-vinylpyridine (P4VP), tailored to produce water-processable nanoparticles (WPNPs) in blend with phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM). The copolymer PTB7-b-P4VP was completely characterized by means of two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D-NMR), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS), size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to confirm the molecular structure. The WPNPs were prepared through an adapted miniemulsion approach without any surfactants. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images reveal the nano-segregation of two active materials inside the WPNPs. The nanostructures appear spherical with a Janus-like inner morphology. PTB7 segregated to one side of the nanoparticle, while PC71BM segregated to the other side. This morphology was consistent with the value of the surface energy obtained for the two active materials PTB7-b-P4VP and PC71BM. The WPNPs obtained were deposited as an active layer of organic solar cells (OSCs). The films obtained were characterized by UV-Visible Spectroscopy (UV-vis), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD). J-V characteristics of the WPNP-based devices were measured by obtaining a power conversion efficiency of 0.85%. Noticeably, the efficiency of the WPNP-based devices was higher than that achieved for the devices fabricated with the PTB7-based BCP dissolved in chlorinated organic solvent.
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P3HT colloid stability study and its application in the degradation of methylene blue dye under UV radiation conditions. Polym Bull (Berl) 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00289-020-03415-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Tuning the randomization of lamellar orientation in poly(3-hexylthiophene) thin films with substrate nano-curvature. POLYMER 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2021.124071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Preparation, Physical Properties, and Applications of Water-Based Functional Polymer Inks. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:polym13091419. [PMID: 33925696 PMCID: PMC8124647 DOI: 10.3390/polym13091419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, water-based functional polymer inks are prepared using different solvent displacement methods, in particular, polymer functional inks based on semiconducting polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene) and the ferroelectric polymer poly(vinylidene fluoride) and its copolymers with trifluoroethylene. The nanoparticles that are included in the inks are prepared by miniemulsion, as well as flash and dialysis nanoprecipitation techniques and we discuss the properties of the inks obtained by each technique. Finally, an example of the functionality of a semiconducting/ferroelectric polymer coating prepared from water-based inks is presented.
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Holmes A, Deniau E, Lartigau-Dagron C, Bousquet A, Chambon S, Holmes NP. Review of Waterborne Organic Semiconductor Colloids for Photovoltaics. ACS NANO 2021; 15:3927-3959. [PMID: 33620200 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c10161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Development of carbon neutral and sustainable energy sources should be considered as a top priority solution for the growing worldwide energy demand. Photovoltaics are a strong candidate, more specifically, organic photovoltaics (OPV), enabling the design of flexible, lightweight, semitransparent, and low-cost solar cells. However, the active layer of OPV is, for now, mainly deposited from chlorinated solvents, harmful for the environment and for human health. Active layers processed from health and environmentally friendly solvents have over recent years formed a key focus topic of research, with the creation of aqueous dispersions of conjugated polymer nanoparticles arising. These nanoparticles are formed from organic semiconductors (molecules and macromolecules) initially designed for organic solvents. The topic of nanoparticle OPV has gradually garnered more attention, up to a point where in 2018 it was identified as a "trendsetting strategy" by leaders in the international OPV research community. Hence, this review has been prepared to provide a timely roadmap of the formation and application of aqueous nanoparticle dispersions of active layer components for OPV. We provide a thorough synopsis of recent developments in both nanoprecipitation and miniemulsion for preparing photovoltaic inks, facilitating readers in acquiring a deep understanding of the crucial synthesis parameters affecting particle size, colloidal concentration, ink stability, and more. This review also showcases the experimental levers for identifying and optimizing the internal donor-acceptor morphology of the nanoparticles, featuring cutting-edge X-ray spectromicroscopy measurements reported over the past decade. The different strategies to improve the incorporation of these inks into OPV devices and to increase their efficiency (to the current record of 7.5%) are reported, in addition to critical design choices of surfactant type and the advantages of single-component vs binary nanoparticle populations. The review naturally culminates by presenting the upscaling strategies in practice for this environmentally friendly and safer production of solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Holmes
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM, Pau 64012, France
| | - Elise Deniau
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM, Pau 64012, France
| | | | - Antoine Bousquet
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM, Pau 64012, France
| | - Sylvain Chambon
- LIMMS/CNRS-IIS (UMI2820), Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan
| | - Natalie P Holmes
- Centre for Organic Electronics, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
- Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Sydney, Madsen Building F09, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
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Photophysical and structural modulation of poly(3-hexylthiophene) nanoparticles via surfactant-polymer interaction. POLYMER 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2021.123515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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10
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Pan H, Tan B, Yazdani A, Budhlall B, Sobkowicz MJ. Controlling the particle size of aqueous conjugated polymer colloids and impact on transistor performance. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2020.124633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Ferretti AM, Zappia S, Scavia G, Giovanella U, Villafiorita-Monteleone F, Destri S. Surfactant-free miniemulsion approach for low band gap rod-coil block copolymer water-processable nanoparticle fabrication: Film preparation and morphological characterization. POLYMER 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2019.04.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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12
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Aggregate dispersions to enhance the intrachain order in surfactant-stabilized aqueous colloids of poly(3-hexylthiophene). J Mol Liq 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2019.01.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Poly(3-hexylthiophene)/poly(styrene) blended colloids: Exploiting the effects of composition and marginal solvent. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2017.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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