A Printable Paste Based on a Stable n-Type Poly[Ni-tto] Semiconducting Polymer

Abstract

Polynickeltetrathiooxalate (poly[Ni-tto]) is an n-type semiconducting polymer having outstanding thermoelectric characteristics and exhibiting high stability under ambient conditions. However, its insolubility limits its use in organic electronics. This work is devoted to the production of a printable paste based on a poly[Ni-tto]/PVDF composite by thoroughly grinding the powder in a ball mill. The resulting paste has high homogeneity and is characterized by rheological properties that are well suited to the printing process. High-precision dispenser printing allows one to apply both narrow lines and films of poly[Ni-tto]-composite with a high degree of smoothness. The resulting films have slightly better thermoelectric properties compared to the original polymer powder. A flexible, fully organic double-leg thermoelectric generator with six thermocouples was printed by dispense printing using the poly[Ni-tto]-composite paste as n-type material and a commercial PEDOT-PSS paste as p-type material. A temperature gradient of 100 K produces a power output of about 20 nW. © 2019 by the authors.