Thermoelectric properties of a semicrystalline polymer doped beyond the insulator-to-metal transition by electrolyte gating

Abstract

Conducting polymer thin films containing inherent structural disorder exhibit complicated electronic, transport, and thermoelectric properties. The unconventional power-law relation between the Seebeck coefficient (<i>S</i>) and the electrical conductivity (σ) is one of the typical consequences of this disorder, where no maximum of the thermoelectric power factor (<i>P</i> = <i>S</i> ²σ) has been observed upon doping, unlike conventional systems. Here, it is demonstrated that a thiophene-based semicrystalline polymer exhibits a clear maximum of <i>P</i> through wide-range carrier doping by the electrolyte gating technique. The maximum value appears around the macroscopic insulator-to-metal transition upon doping, which is firmly confirmed by the temperature dependence of σ and magnetoresistance measurements. The effect of disorder on charge transport is suppressed in the metallic state, resulting in the conventional <i>S</i>-σ relation described by the Mott equation. The present results provide a physical background for controlling the performance of conducting polymers toward the application to thermoelectric devices.