International audienceRoom temperature flexible heat harvesters based on conducting polymers are ideally suited to cover the energy demands of the modern nomadic society. The optimization of their thermoelectric efficiency is usually sought by tuning the oxidation levels of the conducting polymers, even if such methodology is detrimental to the Seebeck coefficient (S) as both the Seebeck coefficient and the electrical conductivity (σ) are antagonistically related to the carrier concentration. Here we report a concurrent increase of S and σ and we experimentally derive the dependence of Seebeck coefficient on charge carrier mobility for the first time in organic electronics. Through specific control of the conducting polymer synthesis, we enabled the formation of a denser percolation network that facilitated the charge transport and the thermodiffusion of the charge carriers inside the conducting polymer layer, while the material shifted from a Fermi glass towards a semi-metal, as its crystallinity increased. This work sheds light upon the origin of the thermoelectric properties of conducting polymers, but also underlines the importance of enhanced charge carrier mobility for the design of efficient thermoelectric polymers

This work focuses on the synthesis of polyrotaxanes with high molecular weight template poly(ethylene glycol) PEG (20 kg mol⁻¹) having various and well-defined amounts of α-cyclodextrins (α-CD) per chain N from 3 up to 125. N is the complexation degree of the polyrotaxane defined to be the average number of cyclodextrin molecules per template chain. The usual route has been used for high values of N, while sparsely complexed polyrotaxanes have been synthesized with an original one pot synthesis in water. Furthermore, a systematic study was carried out to understand and control the complexation degree N of the polyrotaxane as a function of the complexation time, the temperature and the initial ratio of α-CD to template polymer. It has been shown that a high temperature thermal plateau leads to the formation of very sparsely complexed (low N) pseudo-polyrotaxanes for which, the threaded α-CD act like nuclei and generate a favourable driving force for the final complexation at lower temperature.

Due to the rising need for clean energy, thermoelectricity has raised as a potential alternative to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Specifically, thermoelectric devices based on polymers could offer an efficient path for near-room temperature energy harvesters. Thus, control over thermoelectric properties of conducting polymers is crucial and, herein, the structural, electrical and thermoelectric properties of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) thin films doped with p-toluenesulfonate (Tos) molecules were investigated with regards to thin film processing. PEDOT:Tos thin films were prepared by in-situ polymerization of (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) monomers in presence of iron(III) p-toluenesulfonate with different co-solvents in order to tune the film structure. While the Seebeck coefficient remained constant, a large improvement in the electrical conductivity was observed for thin films processed with high boiling point additives. The increase of electrical conductivity was found to be solely in-plane mobility-driven. Probing the thin film structure by Grazing Incidence Wide Angle X-ray Scattering has shown that this behavior is dictated by the structural properties of the PEDOT:Tos films; specifically by the thin film crystallinity combined to the preferential edge-on orientation of the PEDOT crystallites. Consequentially enhancement of the power factor from 25 to 78.5 μW/mK² has been readily obtained for PEDOT:Tos thin films following this methodology.

Optical metamaterials are artificially engineered architectures that exhibit desired optical properties not found in nature. Bespoke design requires the ability to define shape, size, orientation, and composition of material structures on the nanometer length scale. Bottom‐up self‐assembly methods, such as block copolymer (BCP) templating, offer unique pathways to tailored features, at spatial resolution not routinely achieved by conventional top‐down techniques. In this review, the authors provide the general readership with basic concepts of the underlying fabrication processes and examine optical phenomena arising from BCP‐derived metamaterials and nanoresonators, with both dielectric and plasmonic characteristics. A number of diverse structural conformations designed by BCP templating and their implementation in optical devices is evaluated. The discussion includes 3D metamaterials, such as gyroidal and hyperbolic arrangements, as well as 2D metasurfaces. Based on recent developments in exploring these emerging structural and material configurations, the review further highlights unexplored opportunities offered by BCP self‐assembly for novel metamaterials and metasurface devices.