The integration of photochromic molecules into semiconducting polymer matrices via blending has recently attracted a great deal of attention, as it provides the means to reversibly modulate the output signal of electronic devices by using light as a remote control. However, the structural and electronic interactions between photochromic molecules and semiconducting polymers is far from being fully understood. Here we perform a comparative investigation by combining two photochromic diarylethene moieties possessing similar energy levels yet different propensity to aggregate with five prototypical polymer semiconductors exhibiting different energy levels and structural order, ranging from amorphous to semicrystalline. Our in-depth photochemical, structural, morphological and electrical characterization reveals that the photoresponsive behavior of thin-film transistors (TFTs) including polymer/diarylethenes blends as the active layer is governed by a complex interplay between the relative position of the energy levels and the polymer matrix microstructure. By matching the energy levels and optimizing the molecular packing, high-performance optically switchable organic thin-film transistors were fabricated. These findings represent a major step forward in the fabrication of light-responsive organic devices.
One of the grand challenges in organic electronics is to develop multicomponent materials wherein each component imparts a different and independently addressable property to the hybrid system. In this way, the combination of the pristine properties of each component is not only preserved but also combined with unprecedented properties emerging from the mutual interaction between the components. Here for the first time, that tricomponent materials comprised of an ambipolar diketopyrrolopyrrole-based semiconducting polymer combined with two different photochromic diarylethene molecules possessing ad hoc energy levels can be used to develop organic field-effect transistors, in which the transport of both, holes and electrons, can be photo-modulated. A fully reversible light-switching process is demonstrated, with a light-controlled 100-fold modulation of p-type charge transport and a tenfold modulation of n-type charge transport. These findings pave the way for photo-tunable inverters and ultimately for completely readdressable high-performance circuits comprising optical storage units and ambipolar field-effect transistors.
Here we describe the fabrication of organic phototransistors based on either single or multifibers integrated in three-terminal devices. These self-assembled fibers have been produced by solvent-induced precipitation of an air stable and solution-processable perylene di-imide derivative, i.e., PDIF-CN2. The optoelectronic properties of these devices were compared to devices incorporating more disordered spin-coated PDIF-CN2 thin-films. The single-fiber devices revealed significantly higher field-effect mobilities, compared to multifiber and thin-films, exceeding 2 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1). Such an efficient charge transport is the result of strong intermolecular coupling between closely packed PDIF-CN2 molecules and of a low density of structural defects. The improved crystallinity allows efficient collection of photogenerated Frenkel excitons, which results in the highest reported responsivity (R) for single-fiber PDI-based phototransistors, and photosensitivity (P) exceeding 2 × 10(3) AW(-1), and 5 × 10(3), respectively. These findings provide unambiguous evidence for the key role played by the high degree of order at the supramolecular level to leverage the material's properties toward the fabrication of light-sensitive organic field-effect transistors combining a good operational stability, high responsivity and photosensitivity. Our results show also that the air-stability performances are superior in devices where highly crystalline supramolecularly engineered architectures serve as the active layer.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.