An organic mixed ion-electron conductor for power electronics

In the coming decades, a large amount of extra electrical power must be produced to cover the increasing energy requirements of our society. Various intermittent energy sources are used to produce electricity. However, because they do not fit the pattern of human activity, there is an urgent need for materials capable of storing and manipulating huge amounts of electrical energy. Electrical storage could take place in large volume electrochemical cells (batteries or supercapacitors) whose discharges are controlled through high power transistor circuits. One limitation today is identified as the absence of bulk materials with both a high electronic and ionic conduction, i.e., mixed ionicelectronic conductor (MIEC) bulk systems. These MIECs would preferably be based on sustainable, light-weight, and abundant materials that can be easily processed into large (even giant) volumes. Such a “green” MIEC would enable the mass adoption of supercapacitors, and may be further functionalized with catalysts for fuel cells [1] or with additional redox species for batteries. [2] Furthermore, this development may also help organic electronics venture into the domain of high power electronics and ultra-low noise bioelectronic sensors. [3].