CONJUGATED POLYMERS & INTERFACE MATERIALS
Electronic materials for thin-film devices
Explore PEDOT formulations, PBFDO, self-assembled monolayer materials and organic semiconductors for research and development. Select a material by its chemical identity, supplied form and intended role in your device or process.
01 · HOLE CONDUCTORS
p-type polymers
PEDOT:PSS · PEDOT-F · aqueous dispersion or formulated ink
PEDOT:PSS combines conducting PEDOT with polystyrene sulfonate and is commonly supplied as an aqueous dispersion. Its role depends on the formulation: a hole-selective interface and a transparent electrode require different conductivity and film properties.
PEDOT:F uses a fluorinated sulfonate counterion system. Tenutec lists alcohol-based PEDOT:F dispersions for electronic interfaces. Select the formulation by solvent compatibility, processing conditions and the properties required in your device.
Conductivity, work function, transparency and stability depend on composition, film thickness and treatment. Discuss the grade, deposition method and test conditions with us before comparing performance. Research on cross-linked films and hydrogels is described in the publications below.
An aqueous PEDOT:PSS dispersion for research on electronic interfaces. Choose the grade by conductivity, work function and processing requirements. Electrode and channel applications require grade-specific validation; published results for other formulations do not define this product’s performance.
Tenutec's fluorinated PEDOT grade. Replacing the PSS environment with a fluorinated counterion raises hydrophobicity and deepens the work function, improving film stability under humidity and energy-level matching for hole extraction. Different processing window from standard PEDOT:PSS.
APPLICATIONS
Hole transport layers. Organic and perovskite solar cells, OLEDs and light-emitting electrochemical cells.
Transparent electrodes. An ITO replacement where flexibility or cost rules out sputtered oxide.
Organic thermoelectrics. p-type legs in printed, flexible thermoelectric generators.
Bioelectronics. OECT channels and low-impedance electrode coatings for tissue-contacting devices.
Supercapacitors and energy harvesting. Cross-linked PEDOT:PSS and CNT composite electrodes, and transpiration-driven power generators.
Antistatic and EMI coatings. Transparent conductive layers on plastic film.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
02 · ELECTRON CONDUCTORS
n-type polymers
PBFDO · self-doped · solution-processable · air-stable
Organic electronics has a long-standing asymmetry: p-type materials are plentiful, stable and commercially available, while good n-type conductors are rare. The reason is chemical rather than accidental an n-doped polymer carries electrons in a high-lying LUMO, which makes it vulnerable to oxygen and water. Most n-type materials that perform well in a glovebox degrade within hours in air, and those that survive usually depend on a bulky external dopant that then phases out of the film.
PBFDO poly(benzodifurandione) is the material that closed that gap. It is made by oxidative polymerisation with in situ reductive n-doping, so the doping happens during the polymerisation rather than as a later diffusion step. That gives a doping efficiency approaching one charge per repeat unit and, unusually, a backbone that is solution-processable with no solubilising side chains or surfactants at all.
The consequences are practical. Conductivity above 2,000 S cm⁻¹ puts PBFDO within reach of PEDOT:PSS on the p-side, making a genuinely matched complementary pair possible for the first time. Films are stable in ambient air and humidity, resist common organic solvents and acidic and basic media, and need no inert atmosphere to process so a device can be built on a bench rather than in a glovebox.
Tenutec supply PBFDO as solid or as a formulated ink at a set concentration, with conductivity, energy levels and film data reported per batch. Where a customer needs a matched pair, it is characterised alongside our p-type materials on the same substrates and the same measurement setup, so the comparison that goes into a device model is like for like.
APPLICATIONS
Organic electrochemical transistors. The n-channel material for complementary OECT amplifiers and logic operating in aqueous media.
Organic thermoelectrics. The n-type leg that has historically limited printed thermoelectric generators.
Electron transport layers. Organic and perovskite solar cells, photodetectors and OLEDs.
Complementary circuits. n-channel devices for inverters and logic on flexible substrates, paired with a PEDOT p-channel.
Bioelectronics and neural interfaces. Low-impedance, water-stable coatings on tissue-contacting electrodes.
Electrochemical energy storage. Conducting binders and redox-active electrode additives.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
The n-type counterpart to PEDOT. Made by oxidative polymerisation with in situ reductive n-doping, reaching close to one charge per repeat unit, and solution-processable with no solubilising side chains at all. Stable in ambient air, humidity, and acidic and basic media.
03 · INTERFACE MATERIALS
Self-assembled monolayers
Carbazole-based SAMs · phosphonic acid anchoring · hole-selective contacts
Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) modify the interface between an electrode and the next layer in a device. Phosphonic acid anchoring groups can bind to oxide surfaces, while molecular structure and surface coverage influence interfacial energetics, charge selectivity and recombination.
Tenutec offers carbazole-based SAM materials for research on organic and perovskite solar cells and other thin-film devices. Molecular substitution, spacer length, substrate preparation and deposition conditions all matter when selecting and evaluating a material.
The publications below describe specific device studies, including molecular design and co-assembly. Their efficiencies refer to the reported architectures and test conditions, rather than guaranteed performance specifications for a supplied material. Contact us about chemical identity, quantity and processing requirements for your project.
RESEARCH APPLICATIONS
Organic solar cells: hole-selective interfaces and comparison with conventional transport layers.
Perovskite and tandem cells: interface development for inverted architectures.
Mini-modules: evaluation of coating uniformity and interface reproducibility.
Photodetectors: assessment of charge selectivity and dark current.
Work-function engineering: modification of oxide electrode surfaces.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
A single SAM never covers a surface perfectly, and the gaps it leaves are recombination sites. Co-assembly puts a second, smaller molecule into those gaps. This is what took our cells to 20% and mini-modules to 17% the module figure being the one that matters for manufacture.
Chlorine pulls the HOMO deeper than the unsubstituted carbazole and adds a halogen-bonding interaction with the layer above, which can passivate the interface as well as align it. Reported in organic cells around 20.1% efficiency.