Tuning Conjugated Polymer Chain Packing for Stretchable Semiconductors

Authors

Jie Xu, Stanford UniversityFollow
Hung-Chin Wu, Stanford University
Jaewan Mun, Stanford UniversityFollow
Rui Ning, Stanford University
Weichen Wang, Stanford UniversityFollow
Ging Ji Nathan Wang, Stanford UniversityFollow
Shayla Nikzad, Stanford UniversityFollow
Hongping Yan, Stanford UniversityFollow
Xiaodan Gu, University of Southern MississippiFollow
Shaochuan Luo, Nanjing UniversityFollow
Dongshan Zhou, Nanjing UniversityFollow
Jeffrey B.H. Tok, Stanford UniversityFollow
Zhenan Bao, Stanford UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-24-2021

School

Polymer Science and Engineering

Abstract

In order to apply polymer semiconductors to stretchable electronics, they need to be easily deformed under strain without being damaged. A small number of conjugated polymers, typically with semicrystalline packing structures, have been reported to exhibit mechanical stretchability. Herein, a method is reported to modify polymer semiconductor packing-structure using a molecular additive, dioctyl phthalate (DOP), which is found to act as a molecular spacer, to be inserted between the amorphous chain networks and disrupt the crystalline packing. As a result, large-crystal growth is suppressed while short-range aggregations of conjugated polymers are promoted, which leads to an improved mechanical stretchability without affecting charge-carrier transport. Due to the reduced conjugated polymer intermolecular interactions, strain-induced chain alignment and crystallization are observed. By adding DOP to a well-known conjugated polymer, poly[2,5-bis(4-decyltetradecyl)pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-(2H,5H)-dione-(E)-1,2-di(2,2′-bithiophen-5-yl)ethene] (DPPTVT), stretchable transistors are obtained with anisotropic charge-carrier mobilities under strain, and stable current output under strain up to 100%.

Publication Title

Advanced Materials

Recommended Citation

Xu, J., Wu, H., Mun, J., Ning, R., Wang, W., Wang, G., Nikzad, S., Yan, H., Gu, X., Luo, S., Zhou, D., Tok, J., Bao, Z. (2021). Tuning Conjugated Polymer Chain Packing for Stretchable Semiconductors. Advanced Materials.
Available at: https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/19610