Fast grown self-assembled polythiophene/graphene oxide nanocomposite thin films at air–liquid interface with high mobility used in polymer thin film transistors

Abstract

Successful practical application of a polymer or its nanocomposite depends on the ability to produce a high performance electronic device at a significantly lesser cost and time than those needed to manufacture conventional devices. Here, we present a facile and fast method for the self-assembly of a highly-orientated crystalline polymer nanocomposite thin film of poly[2,5-bis(3-tetradecylthiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene] [PBTTT] and graphene oxide (GO) with large surface area at the air–liquid interface, which was assisted by the Floating Film Transfer Method (FTM). Prior to the fabrication of organic thin film transistors (OTFTs), the polymer nanocomposite thin film was studied using multiple techniques namely scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution-transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), atomic force microscopy (AFM), grazing incident X-ray diffraction (GIXD), electronic absorption, Fourier transformed-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The results are also compared to those of pristine polymer thin film. Further, the organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) fabricated using the polymer nanocomposite show better device performance featuring ∼0.112 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ field effect mobility and 10³ on/off ratio in ambient conditions. Our study highlights a technique that allows fast growth of self-assembled high-quality nanocomposite thin films for enhanced device performance.