n-type charge transport in heavily p-doped polymers.

It is commonly assumed that charge-carrier transport in doped π-conjugated polymers is dominated by one type of charge carrier, either holes or electrons, as determined by the chemistry of the dopant. Here, through Seebeck coefficient and Hall effect measurements, we show that mobile electrons contribute substantially to charge-carrier transport in π-conjugated polymers that are heavily p-doped with strong electron acceptors. Specifically, the Seebeck coefficient of several p-doped polymers changes sign from positive to negative as the concentration of the oxidizing agents FeCl3 or NOBF4 increase, and Hall effect measurements for the same p-doped polymers reveal that electrons become the dominant delocalized charge carriers. Ultraviolet and inverse photoelectron spectroscopy measurements show that doping with oxidizing agents results in elimination of the transport gap at high doping concentrations. This approach of heavy p-type doping is demonstrated to provide a promising route to high-performance n-type organic thermoelectric materials.

Graphene used as a lateral force microscopy calibration material in the low-load non-linear regime.

A lateral force microscopy (LFM) calibration technique utilizing a random low-profile surface is proposed that is successfully employed in the low-load non-linear frictional regime using a single layer of graphene on a supporting oxide substrate. This calibration at low loads and on low friction surfaces like graphene has the benefit of helping to limit the wear of the LFM tip during the calibration procedure. Moreover, the low-profiles of the calibration surface characteristic of these layered 2D materials, on standard polished oxide substrates, result in a nearly constant frictional, adhesive, and elastic response as the tip slides over the surface, making the determination of the calibration coefficient robust. Through a detailed calibration analysis that takes into account non-linear frictional response, it is found that the adhesion is best described by a nearly constant vertical orientation, rather than the more commonly encountered normally directed adhesion, as the single asperity passes over the low-profile graphene-coated oxide surface.