Controlled One-Dimensional Nanostructures in Poly(3-hexylthiophene) Thin Film for High-Performance Organic Field-Effect Transistors

Abstract

With the aim of improving the field-effect mobilities in poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) thin film transistors, we controlled the nanostructures of P3HT thin film by changing the solvent vapor pressure in a spin-coating chamber during solidification. The transistors with P3HT thin films spin-coated under a high solvent vapor pressure (56.5 KPa), showing the one-dimensional nanowire morphologies, resulted in the relatively high field-effect mobilities (0.02 cm2/(V.s)) that are typically more than 1 order of magnitude higher than those prepared under ambient conditions, showing the featureless morphologies. This can be attributed to the higher solvent vapor pressure during film formation, providing the solvent is allowed to evaporate slowly and the degree of ordering within the P3HT crystalline domains is dramatically improved.

One‐Dimensional Conducting Polymer Nanostructures: Bulk Synthesis and Applications

“…[22][23][24][102][103][104][105][106] This process is unique to organic materials as inorganic nanowires cannot be assembled in this manner. This highly delicate process depends on several parameters, the most important of which is growing these polymer nanowires in a high solvent vapor pressure environment.…”

“…6). [102] The resulting P3HT films consist of nanowires in which the P3HT chains pack face-to-face along the nanowire axis (b-axis of the unit cell) and are oriented parallel to the substrate. The packing is facilitated by strong intermolecular p-p interactions along the b-axis of the nanowire which is governed by the regioregularity of the P3HT units.…”

“…4.3), the polymer's structural order is often greater than what is typically observed for conventional material, which can manifest itself in more defined X-ray diffraction peaks. [102] Although the transport properties of these materials are an important factor to consider, the reader is directed to other reviews for this topic. [107,108] In general, anisotropic nanostructured conducting polymers can be used for any application that conventional conducting polymers can be used for.…”

Stepwise Self‐Assembly of P3HT/CdSe Hybrid Nanowires with Enhanced Photoconductivity

“…As is commonly known, one-dimensional P3HT nanostructures can act as efficient 'conduits' for hole carrier transport [15] and improve the field-effect mobility. [16,17] On the other hand, the CdSe QDs densely deposited on the P3HT nanowires not only can supply a large donor/acceptor interface, but can also form a onedimensional distribution along the P3HT nanowires, and as such can act as efficient 'conduits' for electron carrier transport. Thus, a radial coaxial nanowire was formed for facile hole and electron transfer.…”

Conducting Polymers

“…Both polymers receive additional benefits from these functional groups in addition to their processability. P3HT, when synthesized in a regioregular fashion, self-organizes upon gentle heating under high solvent vapor pressure to form fiber-like morphologies on the nanoscale [4]. The polymers reorganize to form a lamellar structure that improves charge transport in two dimensions.…”