Tuning the Dielectric Properties of Organic Semiconductors via Salt Doping

Enhancing the dielectric permittivity of organic semiconductors may open new opportunities to control charge generation and recombination dynamics in organic solar cells. The potential to tune the dielectric permittivity of organic semiconductors by doping them with redox inactive salts was explored using a combination of organic synthesis, electrical characterization, and time-resolved infrared spectroscopy. The addition of the salt, LiTFSI (lithium bis(trifluoro-methyl-sulfonyl)imide), to a conjugated polymer specifically designed to incorporate ions into its bulk phase increased the density of holes and enhanced the static dielectric permittivity of the polymer blend by more than an order of magnitude. The frequency and phase dependence of the real dielectric function demonstrates that the increase in dielectric permittivity resulted from dipolar motion of bound ion pairs or clusters of ions. Interestingly, the increases in the hole density and dielectric permittivity were associated with enhancement o...