Researchers affiliated with Yunnan University, Georgia Tech and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology tested a molecular design for n-type organic mixed ionic-electronic conductors used in organic electrochemical transistors. Published online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on October 9, the paper adds fluorocarbon bridges to a polymer chain to separate pathways for electron transport and ion exchange. The team compared a series of DPP-CNTVT polymers with five different bridge lengths during operation in water.

In the reported results, 8FG-P, with a bridge containing four CF₂ units, performed best: its volumetric capacitance-mobility figure of merit was about 157 F cm⁻¹ V⁻¹ s⁻¹, electron mobility about 1.22 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹, and on/off response times 2.6/1.5 milliseconds. The polymer retained more than 90% of its initial performance after 10,000 seconds of operation in water. The study reports molecular design and laboratory transistor measurements; it does not establish commercial-device lifetime or mass production.