OTFT performance of air-stable ester-functionalized polythiophenes

Abstract

A series of three air-stable ester-functionalized polythiophenes were tested for performance and stability in organic thin film transistors. The highest saturated field effect mobility of the series was 3.3 × 10⁻³ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹. The three polymers showed only a small decrease in performance over the course of one month, while P3HT devices fabricated for comparison no longer functioned after this storage interval. The polymers are stable in air due to a HOMO level of −5.6 eV as measured by CV. Increased crystallinity as measured by XRD and DSC accounts for the highest mobility polymer.