Issue 14, 2023

Aqueous processing of organic semiconductors enabled by stable nanoparticles with built-in surfactants

Abstract

The introduction of oligoether side chains onto a polymer backbone can help to stabilise polymeric dispersions in water without the necessity of surfactants or additives when conjugated polymer nanoparticles are prepared. A series of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) derivatives with different content of a polar thiophene derivative 3-((2-methoxyethoxy)methyl)thiophene was interrogated to find the effect of the polar chains on the stability of the formed nanoparticles, as well as their structural, optical, electrochemical, and electrical properties. Findings indicated that incorporation of 10–20 percent of the polar side chain led to particles that are stable over a period of 42 days, with constant particle size and polydispersity, however the particles from the polymer with 30 percent polar side chain showed aggregation effects. The polymer dispersions showed a stronger solid-like behaviour in water with decreasing polar side chain content, while thin film deposition from water was found to afford globular morphologies and crystallites with more isotropic orientation compared to conventional solution-processed films. As a proof-of-principle, field-effect transistors were fabricated directly from the aqueous dispersions demonstrating that polymers with hydrophilic moieties can be processed in water without the requirement of surfactants.

Graphical abstract: Aqueous processing of organic semiconductors enabled by stable nanoparticles with built-in surfactants

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
28 okt 2022
Accepted
13 mar 2023
First published
17 mar 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Nanoscale, 2023,15, 6793-6801

Aqueous processing of organic semiconductors enabled by stable nanoparticles with built-in surfactants

R. Marcial-Hernandez, S. Giacalone, W. G. Neal, C. Lee, P. A. Gilhooly-Finn, G. Mastroianni, D. Meli, R. Wu, J. Rivnay, M. Palma and C. B. Nielsen, Nanoscale, 2023, 15, 6793 DOI: 10.1039/D2NR06024H

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