AI Article Synopsis

  • Enhancing the solution-processability of conjugated polymers (CPs) is critical for improving charge transport in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), but usually leads to a trade-off between solubility and crystallinity.
  • Researchers developed a new quinoid-donor conjugated polymer, PA4T-Ra, through a skeletal randomization strategy, achieving both improved solubility and crystallinity.
  • The PA4T-Ra-based OFETs exhibited an exceptional hole mobility of 3.11 cm V s, significantly outperforming other polymers, suggesting that random polymer structures can enhance crystallinity rather than diminish it.

Article Abstract

Enhancing the solution-processability of conjugated polymers (CPs) without diminishing their thin-film crystallinity is crucial for optimizing charge transport in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). However, this presents a classic "Goldilocks zone" dilemma, as conventional solubility-tuning methods for CPs typically yield an inverse correlation between solubility and crystallinity. To address this fundamental issue, a straightforward skeletal randomization strategy is implemented to construct a quinoid-donor conjugated polymer, PA4T-Ra, that contains -azaquinodimethane (-AQM) and oligothiophenes as repeat units. A systematic study is conducted to contrast its properties against polymer homologues constructed following conventional solubility-tuning strategies. An unusually concurrent improvement of solubility and crystallinity is realized in the random polymer PA4T-Ra, which shows moderate polymer chain aggregation, the highest crystallinity and the least lattice disorder. Consequently, PA4T-Ra-based OFETs, fabricated under ambient air conditions, deliver an excellent hole mobility of 3.11 cm V s, which is about 30 times higher than that of the other homologues and ranks among the highest for quinoidal CPs. These findings debunk the prevalent assumption that a random polymer backbone sequence results in decreased crystallinity. The considerable advantages of the skeletal randomization strategy illuminate new possibilities for the control of polymer aggregation and future design of high-performance CPs, potentially accelerating the development and commercialization of organic electronics.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d3mh01143gDOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

skeletal randomization
12
randomization strategy
12
conventional solubility-tuning
8
solubility crystallinity
8
polymer pa4t-ra
8
random polymer
8
polymer
6
crystallinity
5
strategy high-performance
4
high-performance quinoidal-aromatic
4

Similar Publications

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!