Engineering optoelectronically active macromolecules for polymer-based photovoltaic and thermoelectric devices

The design and synthesis of semiconducting and conducting macromolecules has led to recent marked increases in the performance of polymer-based sustainable energy conversion devices. Specifically, the design of semiconducting copolymers has allowed for the fabrication of solution-deposited organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices with power conversion efficiencies approaching 11% to be realized on the laboratory scale. Furthermore, polymer-based thermoelectric (TE) devices with figure of merit (ZT) values of greater than 0.4 have been realized due to the refinement of conducting polymers and conducting polymer–inorganic nanoparticle composites. Here, we describe the macromolecular design strategies that have been implemented to achieve these impressive results, and we suggest future routes of investigation that could allow for the discovery of even higher performance materials and devices.

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