Hydroxy-Terminated Organic Semiconductor-Based Field-Effect Transistors for Phosphonate Vapor Detection

Abstract

Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) with a hydroxy-functionalized semiconductor incorporated into a receptor layer were fabricated and shown to respond strongly to the analyte dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) that simulates phosphonate nerve agents. Large and reproducible source-drain current changes were observed upon exposure to DMMP vapor. Compared to single component transistors, OFETs with a mixed hydroxylated and nonhydroxylated semiconductor upper layer exhibited higher sensitivity. We further investigated the selectivity of the heterostructured OFETs by comparing responses upon exposure to different interference vapors with response to DMMP exposure. Much higher response was observed in the case of DMMP, even when the concentration of DMMP vapor was much lower than other analytes. Microstructures of OSC were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), revealing that the organic mixture has similar crystal structure and surface morphology to those of single component OSC films, indicating that the enhanced performance of the mixture is due to its chemical properties, rather than microstructural effects.

Aggregates of diketopyrrolopyrrole dimers in solution

“…Precursor 2 as well as the tin compounds 3 and 6 were obtained by following literature procedures, while 5 is commercially available. [19][20][21][22] All synthesised materials exhibited good thermal stability with decomposition temperatures (5% weight loss) above 350 °C. More details of their thermal as well as electrochemical properties can be found in the Supplementary Information.…”

Photosensitive and Flexible Organic Field‐Effect Transistors Based on Interface Trapping Effect and Their Application in 2D Imaging Array

“…Organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs) have attracted considerable research attention due to their potential application for low‐cost, flexible, and wearable electronics 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. OPTs are an attractive category of OFETs, which can be used as photodetectors, light‐induced switches, light‐triggered amplifiers, and image sensors, amongst other applications 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23.…”

Water-stable organic transistors and their application in chemical and biological sensors

“…More recent work, however, has shown that proper modification of the semiconductor material can lead to more directed responses. For example, Huang et al (14) incorporated alkoxy side chains in an organic semiconductor layer and observed an improved response to phosphonate vapors compared to the alkyl-substituted material. Additionally, semiconductors modified with chiral, nonracemic amino acid groups were used for discrimination between citronellol enantiomers (15).…”