A new 3-D coordination polymer as a precursor for CuI-based thermoelectric composites.

Two complexes, [Cu6I6(L1)3]n (I) and [Cu4I4(L2)2]n (II) (L1 = 1,4-bis(phenylthio)but-2-yne; L2 = 1,4-bis(phenylthio)butane), as precursors for thermoelectric composites were prepared using a literature procedure. During the preparation of I, an unexpected 3-D polymorph [Cu4I4(L1)2]n (1) with a triclinic space group and an infinite [CuI]n staircase structure was obtained. This new polymorph (1) exhibited the same structure at both room temperature and 173 K.

A thermoelectric copper-iodide composite from the pyrolysis of a well-defined coordination polymer.

Coordination polymer 1 was prepared from CuI and a flexible [SNS] ligand L in acetonitrile. The thermal decomposition of 1 yielded a CuI-rich thermoelectric carbon composite 2, which is relatively light, thermally stable and robust. Composite 2 possesses high Seebeck coefficients (700-950 μV K-1) from rt to 204 °C after an optimization cycle.

Synthesis and photovoltaic properties of two-dimensional low-bandgap copolymers based on new benzothiadiazole derivatives with different conjugated arylvinylene side chains.

A new series of 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (BT) acceptors with different conjugated aryl-vinylene side chains have been designed and used to build efficient low-bandgap (LBG) photovoltaic copolymers. Based on benzo[1,2-b:3,4-b']dithiophene and the resulting new BT derivatives, three two-dimensional (2D)-like donor (D)-acceptor (A) conjugated copolymers have been synthesised by Stille coupling polymerisation. These copolymers were characterised by NMR spectroscopy, gel-permeation chromatography, thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry.