An Intrinsically Stretchable High-Performance Polymer Semiconductor With Low Crystallinity

Authors

Yu Zheng, Stanford UniversityFollow
Ging-Ji Nathan Wang, Stanford UniversityFollow
Jiheong Kang, Stanford UniversityFollow
Mark Nikolka, Stanford University
Hung-Chin Wu, Stanford University
Helen Tran, Stanford University
Song Zhang, University of Southern MississippiFollow
Hongping Yan, Stanford University
Hu Chen, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Pak Yan Yuen, Stanford University
Jaewan Mun, Stanford University
Reinhold H. Dauskardt, Stanford University
Iain McCulloch, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Jeffrey B.-H. Tok, Stanford UniversityFollow
Xiaodan Gu, University of Southern MississippiFollow
Zhenan Bao, Stanford UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-14-2019

School

Polymer Science and Engineering

Abstract

For wearable and implantable electronics applications, developing intrinsically stretchable polymer semiconductor is advantageous, especially in the manufacturing of large‐area and high‐density devices. A major challenge is to simultaneously achieve good electrical and mechanical properties for these semiconductor devices. While crystalline domains are generally needed to achieve high mobility, amorphous domains are necessary to impart stretchability. Recent progresses in the design of high‐performance donor–acceptor polymers that exhibit low degrees of energetic disorder, while having a high fraction of amorphous domains, appear promising for polymer semiconductors. Here, a low crystalline, i.e., near‐amorphous, indacenodithiophene‐co‐benzothiadiazole (IDTBT) polymer and a semicrystalline thieno[3,2‐b ]thiophene‐diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPPTT) are compared, for mechanical properties and electrical performance under strain. It is observed that IDTBT is able to achieve both a high modulus and high fracture strain, and to preserve electrical functionality under high strain. Next, fully stretchable transistors are fabricated using the IDTBT polymer and observed mobility ≈0.6 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ at 100% strain along stretching direction. In addition, the morphological evolution of the stretched IDTBT films is investigated by polarized UV–vis and grazing‐incidence X‐ray diffraction to elucidate the molecular origins of high ductility. In summary, the near‐amorphous IDTBT polymer signifies a promising direction regarding molecular design principles toward intrinsically stretchable high‐performance polymer semiconductor.

Publication Title

Advanced Functional Materials

Volume

29

Issue

46

Recommended Citation

Zheng, Y., Wang, G. N., Kang, J., Nikolka, M., Wu, H., Tran, H., Zhang, S., Yan, H., Chen, H., Yuen, P. Y., Mun, J., Dauskardt, R. H., McCulloch, I., Tok, J. B., Gu, X., Bao, Z. (2019). An Intrinsically Stretchable High-Performance Polymer Semiconductor With Low Crystallinity. Advanced Functional Materials, 29(46).
Available at: https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/18007