Abstract
Semiconducting polymers are promising materials for manufacturing optoelectronic devices, such as large-area solar cells or small light-emitting diodes, through the use of printing technologies. In their oxidized form, π-conjugated polymers become good electrical conductors and their optical absorption shifts to the infrared region. It is demonstrated that conducting polymers can be integrated in bolometers for IR detection. A bolometer is a thermally isolated thin device that absorbs IR radiation and translates a temperature change into a change in electrical resistance. While commercial bolometers are usually made of complex architectures comprising several materials (that is, an IR absorbing layer, a conducting layer, and a thermally insulating layer), the first polymer bolometer is demonstrated with a freestanding layer of poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene) having high IR absorption, low thermal conductivity, and good thermistor action in one single layer. The solution processability of conducting polymers, their compatibility with high-resolution printing technologies, and their unique combination of optoelectronic properties can lead to a breakthrough for low-cost uncooled IR cameras, which are in high demand for security and safety applications.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 1800975 |
Journal | Advanced Electronic Materials |
Volume | 5 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2019 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
Keywords
- IR detection
- PEDOT:PSS
- conducting polymers
- low-cost thermal imaging
- organic bolometers
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials