1b:I[76749,["/_next/static/chunks/bf18fea59be6d5b1.js","/_next/static/chunks/1ba21a8e081e29d1.js","/_next/static/chunks/0383663887945ae7.js","/_next/static/chunks/2060b26370dc6c0a.js","/_next/static/chunks/dda00c7627406bba.js","/_next/static/chunks/8ddf2550f38c2f2a.js","/_next/static/chunks/5bf36002c846d2d8.js"],"default"] 1c:I[3486,["/_next/static/chunks/bf18fea59be6d5b1.js","/_next/static/chunks/1ba21a8e081e29d1.js","/_next/static/chunks/0383663887945ae7.js","/_next/static/chunks/2060b26370dc6c0a.js","/_next/static/chunks/dda00c7627406bba.js","/_next/static/chunks/8ddf2550f38c2f2a.js","/_next/static/chunks/5bf36002c846d2d8.js"],"default"] 1d:I[17707,["/_next/static/chunks/bf18fea59be6d5b1.js","/_next/static/chunks/1ba21a8e081e29d1.js","/_next/static/chunks/0383663887945ae7.js","/_next/static/chunks/2060b26370dc6c0a.js","/_next/static/chunks/dda00c7627406bba.js","/_next/static/chunks/8ddf2550f38c2f2a.js","/_next/static/chunks/5bf36002c846d2d8.js"],"default"] 1e:I[66528,["/_next/static/chunks/bf18fea59be6d5b1.js","/_next/static/chunks/1ba21a8e081e29d1.js","/_next/static/chunks/0383663887945ae7.js","/_next/static/chunks/2060b26370dc6c0a.js","/_next/static/chunks/dda00c7627406bba.js","/_next/static/chunks/8ddf2550f38c2f2a.js","/_next/static/chunks/5bf36002c846d2d8.js"],"default"] 1f:I[63176,["/_next/static/chunks/bf18fea59be6d5b1.js","/_next/static/chunks/1ba21a8e081e29d1.js","/_next/static/chunks/0383663887945ae7.js","/_next/static/chunks/2060b26370dc6c0a.js","/_next/static/chunks/dda00c7627406bba.js","/_next/static/chunks/8ddf2550f38c2f2a.js","/_next/static/chunks/5bf36002c846d2d8.js"],"default"] 20:I[87099,["/_next/static/chunks/bf18fea59be6d5b1.js","/_next/static/chunks/1ba21a8e081e29d1.js","/_next/static/chunks/0383663887945ae7.js","/_next/static/chunks/2060b26370dc6c0a.js","/_next/static/chunks/dda00c7627406bba.js","/_next/static/chunks/8ddf2550f38c2f2a.js","/_next/static/chunks/5bf36002c846d2d8.js"],"default"] 21:I[26200,["/_next/static/chunks/bf18fea59be6d5b1.js","/_next/static/chunks/1ba21a8e081e29d1.js","/_next/static/chunks/0383663887945ae7.js","/_next/static/chunks/2060b26370dc6c0a.js","/_next/static/chunks/dda00c7627406bba.js","/_next/static/chunks/8ddf2550f38c2f2a.js","/_next/static/chunks/5bf36002c846d2d8.js"],"Group"] 22:I[23365,["/_next/static/chunks/bf18fea59be6d5b1.js","/_next/static/chunks/1ba21a8e081e29d1.js","/_next/static/chunks/0383663887945ae7.js","/_next/static/chunks/2060b26370dc6c0a.js","/_next/static/chunks/dda00c7627406bba.js","/_next/static/chunks/8ddf2550f38c2f2a.js","/_next/static/chunks/5bf36002c846d2d8.js"],"default"] 23:T546,A promising conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) experiences significant conductivity enhancement when treated with proper ionic liquids (ILs). Based on the hard-soft-acid-base principle, we propose a combination of a hydrophilic hard cation A⁺ (instead of the commonly used 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium, EMIM⁺) and a hydrophobic soft anion X^- (such as tetracyanoborate, TCB^-) as the best ILs for this purpose. Such ILs would decouple hydrophilic-but-insulating PSS^- from conducting-but-hydrophobic PEDOT⁺ most efficiently by strong interactions with hydrophilic A⁺ and hydrophobic X^-, respectively. Such a favorable ion exchange between PEDOT⁺:PSS^- and A⁺:X^- ILs would allow the growth of conducting PEDOT⁺ domains decorated by X^-, not disturbed by PSS^- or A⁺. Using density functional theory calculations and molecular dynamics simulations, we demonstrate that a protic cation- (aliphatic N-alkyl pyrrolidinium, in particular) combined with the hydrophobic anion TCB^- indeed outperforms EMIM⁺ by promptly leaving hydrophobic TCB^- and strongly binding to hydrophilic PSS^-.

Ikhee Han

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