Issue 34, 2017

An indacenodithiophene-based semiconducting polymer with high ductility for stretchable organic electronics

Abstract

An alkyl-substituted indacenodithiophene-based donor–acceptor π-conjugated polymer (PIDTBPD) with low stiffness and high ductility is reported. The polymer was synthesized after DFT calculations predicted that it would have a kinked backbone conformation while showing strong intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), suggestive of the fact that it would be beneficial to the polymer's elasticity and charge mobility. Atom-efficient direct arylation polymerization (DArP) was exploited to synthesize the polymer. Mechanical studies indicate that PIDTBPD has relatively rapid stress-relaxation properties, which lead to a low elastic modulus of 200 MPa and high crack-onset strain of ca. 40% (lower limit). A moderate charge carrier mobility of 2 × 10−3 cm2 V−1 s−1 with a current on/off ratio of 2.5 × 106 was obtained from the fabricated OFETs. Further experiments were performed to elucidate the structural aspects of this polymer: UV-Vis and PL spectra suggest that minimal conformational change occurs in the polymer between its diluted solution and thin film states; DSC measurements indicate that the polymer's Tg is below −20 °C, allowing it to be in a rubbery state at room temperature; and XRD studies support this observation suggesting that the polymer is mostly amorphous at room temperature.

Graphical abstract: An indacenodithiophene-based semiconducting polymer with high ductility for stretchable organic electronics

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
14 Mar 2017
Accepted
04 May 2017
First published
05 May 2017

Polym. Chem., 2017,8, 5185-5193

An indacenodithiophene-based semiconducting polymer with high ductility for stretchable organic electronics

Y. Li, W. K. Tatum, J. W. Onorato, S. D. Barajas, Y. Y. Yang and C. K. Luscombe, Polym. Chem., 2017, 8, 5185 DOI: 10.1039/C7PY00435D

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