Doping Dependent In-Plane and Cross-Plane Thermoelectric Performance of Thin n-Type Polymer P(NDI2OD-T2) Films

Thermoelectric generators pose a promising approach in renewable energies as they can convert waste heat into electricity. In order to build high efficiency devices, suitable thermoelectric materials, both n- and p-type, are needed. Here, the n-type high-mobility polymer poly[N,N′-bis(2-octyldodecyl)naphthalene-1,4,5,8-bis(dicarboximide)-2,6-diyl]-alt-5,5′-(2,2′-bithiophene) (P(NDI2OD-T2)) is focused upon. Via solution doping with 4-(1,3-dimethyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoimidazol-2-yl)-N,N-diphenylaniline (N-DPBI), a maximum power factor of (1.84 ± 0.13) µW K⁻² m⁻¹ is achieved in an in-plane geometry for 5 wt% dopant concentration. Additionally, UV–vis spectroscopy and grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering are applied to elucidate the mechanisms of the doping process and to explain the discrepancy in thermoelectric performance depending on the charge carriers being either transported in-plane or cross-plane. Morphological changes are found such that the crystallites, built-up by extended polymer chains interacting via lamellar and π–π stacking, re-arrange from face- to edge-on orientation upon doping. At high doping concentrations, dopant molecules disturb the crystallinity of the polymer, hindering charge transport and leading to a decreased power factor at high dopant concentrations. These observations explain why an intermediate doping concentration of N-DPBI leads to an optimized thermoelectric performance of P(NDI2OD-T2) in an in-plane geometry as compared to the cross-plane case.