Ion Transport in 2D Nanostructured π-Conjugated Thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-Based Liquid Crystal

Leveraging the self-assembling behavior of liquid crystals designed for controlling ion transport is of both fundamental and technological significance. Here, we have designed and prepared a new liquid crystal that contains (2,5-bis(5-(2,5,8,11-tetraoxatridecan-13-yl)thiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (BTTT) as mesogenic core and conjugated segment and symmetric tetra(ethylene oxide) (PEO4) as polar side chains for ionic conducting regions. Driven by the crystallization of the BTTT cores, BTTT/PEO4 exhibits well-ordered smectic phases over the temperature range of 15.7 °C to 71.5 °C as confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry, polarized optical microscope, temperature dependent wide-angle X-ray scattering and grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS). We adopted a combination of experimental GIWAXS and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to better understand the molecular packing of BTTT/PEO4 films, particularly when loaded with the ion conducting salt, lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI). It was found that forming a smectic layered structure with an irregular interface between the BTTT core and the PEO4 side chain enhances ion conduction in BTTT/PEO4.