Alkylsubstituted thienothiophene semiconducting materials: structure-property relationships.
A family of conjugated polymers with fused structures consisting of three to five thiophene rings and with the same alkyl side chains has been synthesized as a means to understand structure-property relationships. All three polymers showed well-extended conjugation through the polymer backbone. Ionization potentials (IP) ranged from 5.15 to 5.21 eV; these large values are indicative of their excellent oxidative stability. X-ray diffraction and AFM studies suggest that the polymer with the even number of fused thiophene rings forms a tight crystalline structure due to its tilted side chain arrangement. On the other hand, the polymers with the odd number of fused thiophene rings packed more loosely. Characterization in a field-effect transistor configuration showed that the mobility of the polymer with the even number of rings is 1 order of magnitude higher than its odd-numbered counterparts. Through this structure-property study, we demonstrate that proper design of the molecules and properly arranged side chain positions on the polymer backbone can greatly enhance polymer electronic properties.
He
Mingqian
M
Corning Incorporated, SP-FR-6, Corning, New York 14830, USA. hem@corning.com
Li
Jianfeng
J
Sorensen
Michael L
ML
Zhang
Feixia
F
Hancock
Robert R
RR
Fong
Hon Hang
HH
Pozdin
Vladimir A
VA
Smilgies
Detlef-M
DM
Malliaras
George G
GG
D000473:Alkanes / Q000737:chemistry*; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D004563:Electrochemistry; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D012666:Semiconductors / Q000295:instrumentation; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013696:Temperature; D013876:Thiophenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D014173:Transistors, Electronic; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
D000473:Alkanes; D011108:Polymers; D013876:Thiophenes