the effect of morphology on the transistor performance of Me 4 PENT is underway and will be reported in a future publication.In conclusion, a pentacene derivative, Me 4 PENT, has been successfully synthesized and single crystals of Me 4 PENT were obtained by gradient sublimation. Calculations show that Me 4 PENT has similar reorganization energy to that of pentacene. TFTs fabricated with Me 4 PENT showed a higher charge transport mobility with the bottom-contact mode device prepared with a deposition substrate temperature of 25 C and even higher charge transport mobility (0.31 cm 2 V ±1 s ±1 ) in devices prepared with a deposition substrate temperature of 85 C.Experimental 2,3,9,10-Tetramethyl-pentacene (Me 4 PENT): Into a round-bottomed flask, aluminum wire (2.5 g, 0.093 mol), mercuric chloride (0.05 g, 0.184 mmol), and dry cyclohexanol (100 mL), with one drop of carbon tetrachloride (0.2 mL) were added. The mixture was refluxed overnight under argon. Compound 4 (2,3,9,10-tetramethylpentacene-6,13-dione, supporting information on the synthesis of compound 4 is available from the authors upon request) (1.46 g, 0.004 mol) was then added in one portion and the mixture was refluxed for 3 days. After cooling to 60 C, the solvent was decanted and ethanol (60 mL) was added. The precipitate was separated by centrifugation, washed with hot acetic acid (2 50 mL), 25 % HCl (2 50 mL), hot water (2 50 mL), and ethanol again (2 50 mL). The dark blue compound was dried under vacuum at 60 C overnight to give a crude product (0.94 g, 70 %), which was further purified by gradient sublimation to yield dark blue crystals m.p. > 300 C (0.39 g, 42 %). MS (EI) m/z: 334 (M + , 100).