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Abstract Bioelectronics based on organic mixed conductors offers tremendous application potential in biological interfacing, drug delivery systems, and neuromorphic devices. The ion injection and water swelling upon electrochemical switching can significantly change the molecular packing of polymeric mixed conductors and thus influence the device performance. Herein, we quantify ion and water injection, and analyze the change of microscopic molecular packing of typical polymeric mixed conducting materials, namely poly(3,4‑ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and poly(2‐(3,3′‐bis(2‐(2‐(2‐methoxyethoxy)ethoxy) ethoxy)‐[2,2′‐bithiophen]‐5‐yl)thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene) (p(g2T‐TT)), by integrating electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring, in situ charge accumulation spectroscopy, and electrical current‐voltage measurement. The penetration of ions and water can lead to viscous and disordered microstructures in organic mixed conductors and the water uptake property plays a more dominant role in morphological disruption compared with ion uptake is demonstrated. This study demonstrates the potential application of the combined optical, gravimetric, and electrical operando platform in evaluating the structural kinetics of organic mixed conductors and highlights the importance of concertedly tuning the hydration process, structural integrity, and charge transport properties of organic mixed conductors in order to achieve high performance and stable bioelectronic devices.
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Charge injection and decay of nanoscale dielectric films resolved via dynamic scanning probe microscopy
Abstract To satisfy continual demands for higher performance dielectrics in multi‐layer ceramic capacitors and related microelectronic devices, novel characterization methods are necessary for mapping materials properties down to the nanoscale, where enabling materials developments are increasingly relevant. Accordingly, an atomic force microscopy‐based approach is implemented for characterizing insulator performance based on the mapping of discharging dynamics. Following surface charging by biasing a conducting tip contacting a dielectric surface, consecutive non‐contact Kelvin force surface potential mapping (KPFM) reveals charge dissipation via exponential decay. In barium titanate (BTO) thin films engineered with distinct microstructures but identical thicknesses, discharging rates vary by up to a factor of 2, with smaller grain size correlating to longer dissipation times, providing insight into optimal microstructures for improved capacitor performance. High‐resolution potential mapping as a function of time thereby provides a route for directly investigating charge injection and discharging mechanisms in dielectrics, which are increasingly engineered down to the nanoscale and have global implications given the trillions of such devices manufactured each year.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1726862
- PAR ID:
- 10448254
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of the American Ceramic Society
- Volume:
- 104
- Issue:
- 10
- ISSN:
- 0002-7820
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 5157-5167
- Size(s):
- p. 5157-5167
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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