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<front>
<journal-meta>
<journal-id journal-id-type="doi">10.1002/(ISSN)1521-3773</journal-id>
<journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">ANIE</journal-id>
<journal-title-group>
<journal-title xml:lang="en">Angewandte Chemie International Edition</journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="publisher" xml:lang="en">Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.</abbrev-journal-title>
</journal-title-group>
<issn publication-format="ppub">1433-7851</issn>
<issn publication-format="epub">1521-3773</issn>
</journal-meta>
<article-meta>
<article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1002/anie.202417897</article-id>
<article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">ANIE202417897</article-id>
<article-categories>
<subj-group subj-group-type="overline" xml:lang="en">
<subject>Research Article</subject>
</subj-group>
<subj-group subj-group-type="heading" xml:lang="en">
<subject>Research Article</subject>
<subj-group subj-group-type="heading" xml:lang="en">
<subject>Polymer Chemistry | Hot Paper</subject>
</subj-group>
</subj-group>
</article-categories>
<title-group>
<article-title xml:lang="en">The Influence of Alkyl Spacers and Molecular Weight on the Charge Transport and Storage Properties of Oxy‐Bithiophene‐Based Conjugated Polymers</article-title>
</title-group>
<contrib-group>
<contrib id="anie202417897-cr-0001" contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Yu</surname>
<given-names>Hang</given-names>
</name>
<contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7805-789X</contrib-id>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="anie202417897-aff-0001">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib id="anie202417897-cr-0002" contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Marks</surname>
<given-names>Adam</given-names>
</name>
<contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9819-4349</contrib-id>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="anie202417897-aff-0002">
<sup>2</sup>
</xref>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="anie202417897-aff-0003">
<sup>3</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib id="anie202417897-cr-0003" contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Tuladhar</surname>
<given-names>Sachetan M.</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="anie202417897-aff-0001">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib id="anie202417897-cr-0004" contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Siemons</surname>
<given-names>Nicholas</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="anie202417897-aff-0001">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib id="anie202417897-cr-0005" contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Anderson</surname>
<given-names>Iona</given-names>
</name>
<contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4020-2753</contrib-id>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="anie202417897-aff-0001">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib id="anie202417897-cr-0006" contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Bidinger</surname>
<given-names>Sophia</given-names>
</name>
<contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1165-2568</contrib-id>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="anie202417897-aff-0004">
<sup>4</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib id="anie202417897-cr-0007" contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Keene</surname>
<given-names>Scott T.</given-names>
</name>
<contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6635-670X</contrib-id>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="anie202417897-aff-0004">
<sup>4</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib id="anie202417897-cr-0008" contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Quill</surname>
<given-names>Tyler J.</given-names>
</name>
<contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2906-0747</contrib-id>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="anie202417897-aff-0003">
<sup>3</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib id="anie202417897-cr-0009" contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Wu</surname>
<given-names>Ruiheng</given-names>
</name>
<contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2666-6110</contrib-id>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="anie202417897-aff-0005">
<sup>5</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib id="anie202417897-cr-0010" contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Gough</surname>
<given-names>Olivia</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="anie202417897-aff-0001">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib id="anie202417897-cr-0011" contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Wu</surname>
<given-names>Guanchen</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="anie202417897-aff-0001">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib id="anie202417897-cr-0012" contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Eisner</surname>
<given-names>Flurin</given-names>
</name>
<contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5507-4961</contrib-id>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="anie202417897-aff-0001">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib id="anie202417897-cr-0013" contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Salleo</surname>
<given-names>Alberto</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="anie202417897-aff-0003">
<sup>3</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib id="anie202417897-cr-0014" contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Rivnay</surname>
<given-names>Jonathan</given-names>
</name>
<contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0602-6485</contrib-id>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="anie202417897-aff-0005">
<sup>5</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib id="anie202417897-cr-0015" contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Malliaras</surname>
<given-names>George G.</given-names>
</name>
<contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4582-8501</contrib-id>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="anie202417897-aff-0004">
<sup>4</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib id="anie202417897-cr-0016" contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Barnes</surname>
<given-names>Piers R. F.</given-names>
</name>
<contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7537-8759</contrib-id>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="anie202417897-aff-0001">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib id="anie202417897-cr-0017" contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>McCulloch</surname>
<given-names>Iain</given-names>
</name>
<contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6340-7217</contrib-id>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="anie202417897-aff-0002">
<sup>2</sup>
</xref>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="anie202417897-aff-0006">
<sup>6</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib id="anie202417897-cr-0018" contrib-type="author" corresp="yes">
<name>
<surname>Nelson</surname>
<given-names>Jenny</given-names>
</name>
<contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1048-1330</contrib-id>
<email>jenny.nelson@imperial.ac.uk</email>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="anie202417897-aff-0001">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
</contrib-group>
<aff id="anie202417897-aff-0001">
<label>
<sup>1</sup>
</label>

<named-content content-type="organisation-division">Department of Physics and Centre for Processable Electronics</named-content>

<institution>Imperial College London</institution>

<postal-code>SW7 2AZ</postal-code>
 <city>London</city>
 <country country="GB">United Kingdom</country>

</aff>
<aff id="anie202417897-aff-0002">
<label>
<sup>2</sup>
</label>

<named-content content-type="organisation-division">Department of Chemistry</named-content>

<institution>University of Oxford</institution>

<postal-code>OX1 2JD</postal-code>
 <city>Oxford</city>
 <country country="GB">United Kingdom</country>

</aff>
<aff id="anie202417897-aff-0003">
<label>
<sup>3</sup>
</label>

<named-content content-type="organisation-division">Department of Materials Science and Engineering</named-content>

<institution>Stanford University</institution>

<postal-code>94305</postal-code>
 <city>Stanford</city>
 <named-content content-type="country-part">CA</named-content>
 <country country="US">United States</country>

</aff>
<aff id="anie202417897-aff-0004">
<label>
<sup>4</sup>
</label>

<named-content content-type="organisation-division">Department of Engineering</named-content>

<institution>University of Cambridge</institution>

<postal-code>CB3 0FA</postal-code>
 <city>Cambridge</city>
 <country country="GB">United Kingdom</country>

</aff>
<aff id="anie202417897-aff-0005">
<label>
<sup>5</sup>
</label>

<named-content content-type="organisation-division">Department of Biomedical Engineering</named-content>

<institution>Northwestern University</institution>

<postal-code>60208</postal-code>
 <city>Evanston</city>
 <named-content content-type="country-part">IL</named-content>
 <country country="US">United States</country>

</aff>
<aff id="anie202417897-aff-0006">
<label>
<sup>6</sup>
</label>

<named-content content-type="organisation-division">Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment</named-content>

<named-content content-type="organisation-division">Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering</named-content>

<institution>Princeton University</institution>

<postal-code>08544</postal-code>
 <city>Princeton</city>
 <named-content content-type="country-part">NJ</named-content>
 <country country="US">United States</country>

</aff>
<pub-date date-type="pub" publication-format="electronic"><day>23</day>
<month>12</month>
<year>2024</year>
</pub-date><elocation-id>e202417897</elocation-id>
<history>

<date date-type="received">
<day>17</day>
<month>09</month>
<year>2024</year>
</date>

</history>
<permissions>
<copyright-statement content-type="issue-copyright">© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH</copyright-statement>
<copyright-statement content-type="article-copyright">© 2024 The Author(s). Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH</copyright-statement>
<copyright-year>2024</copyright-year>
<copyright-holder>© 2024 The Author(s). Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH</copyright-holder>
<license>
<ali:license_ref>http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</ali:license_ref>
<license-p>This is an open access article under the terms of the <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution</ext-link> License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.</license-p>
</license>
</permissions>
<abstract xml:lang="en" abstract-type="main">
<title>Abstract</title>
<p xml:lang="en">Conjugated polymers (CPs) with polar side chains can conduct electronic and ionic charges simultaneously, making them promising for bioelectronics, electrocatalysis and energy storage. Recent work showed that adding alkyl spacers between CP backbones and polar side chains improved electronic charge carrier mobility, reduced swelling and enhanced stability, without compromising ion transport. However, how alkyl spacers impact polymer backbone conformation and, subsequently, electronic properties remain unclear. In this work, we design two oxy‐bithiophene‐based CP series, each featuring progressively extended alkyl spacer lengths and two distinct molecular weight (MW) distributions. Using <italic>operando</italic> characterisations, we evaluate the (spectro)electrochemical and swelling properties of the polymer thin films, and their performance in organic field‐effect transistors and organic electrochemical transistors. Surprisingly, alkyl spacers negatively impact the hole mobility of our polymers, with higher MW amplifying this effect. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we show that it is thermodynamically favourable for adjacent non‐polar alkyl spacers to aggregate in polar electrolytes, leading to backbone twisting. Further spectroscopic measurements corroborate this prediction. Our findings demonstrate the active interactions between side chain structure, MW and electrolyte/solvent polarity in influencing polymer performance, underscoring the importance of considering solvation environment effects on polymer conformation when designing new mixed conducting CPs for electrochemical applications.</p>
</abstract>
<kwd-group kwd-group-type="author-generated" xml:lang="en">
<kwd id="anie202417897-kwd-0001">Conformation analysis</kwd>
<kwd id="anie202417897-kwd-0002">Conjugated polymers</kwd>
<kwd id="anie202417897-kwd-0003">Electrochemistry</kwd>
<kwd id="anie202417897-kwd-0004">Molecular dynamics</kwd>
<kwd id="anie202417897-kwd-0005">Polymer-solvent interactions</kwd>
</kwd-group>
<funding-group>
<award-group id="funding-0001">
<funding-source>

<institution-wrap>
<institution>China Scholarship Council</institution>
<institution-id>http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004543</institution-id>
</institution-wrap>

</funding-source>
<award-id>201906150122</award-id>
</award-group>
</funding-group>
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<award-group id="funding-0002">
<funding-source>

<institution-wrap>
<institution>H2020 European Research Council</institution>
<institution-id>http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100010663</institution-id>
</institution-wrap>

</funding-source>
<award-id>742708</award-id>
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<institution-wrap>
<institution>Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council</institution>
<institution-id>http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000266</institution-id>
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</funding-source>
<award-id>EP/W031019/1</award-id>
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<institution-wrap>
<institution>Royal Society</institution>
<institution-id>http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000288</institution-id>
</institution-wrap>

</funding-source>
</award-group>
</funding-group>
<funding-group>
<award-group id="funding-0005">
<funding-source>

<institution-wrap>
<institution>Cambridge Trust</institution>
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</institution-wrap>

</funding-source>
</award-group>
</funding-group>
<funding-group>
<award-group id="funding-0006">
<funding-source>

<institution-wrap>
<institution>H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions</institution>
<institution-id>http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100010665</institution-id>
</institution-wrap>

</funding-source>
<award-id>101022365</award-id>
</award-group>
</funding-group>
<funding-group>
<award-group id="funding-0007">
<funding-source>

<institution-wrap>
<institution>National Science Foundation</institution>
<institution-id>http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000001</institution-id>
</institution-wrap>

</funding-source>
<award-id>DGE-1656518</award-id>
<award-id>DMR-2308691</award-id>
</award-group>
</funding-group>
<funding-group>
<award-group id="funding-0008">
<funding-source>

<institution-wrap>
<institution>US Department of Energy</institution>
<institution-id>http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000015</institution-id>
</institution-wrap>

</funding-source>
<award-id>DE-SC0014664</award-id>
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<table-count count="2"/>
<ref-count count="47"/>
<page-count count="13"/>
<word-count count="0"/>
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</front>
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