Issue 4, 2022

Semi-paracrystallinity in semi-conducting polymers

Abstract

Precise determination of structural organization of semi-conducting polymers is of paramount importance for the further development of these materials in organic electronic technologies. Yet, prior characterization of some of the best-performing materials for transistor and photovoltaic applications, which are based on polymers with rigid backbones, often resulted in conundrums in which X-ray scattering and microscopy yielded seemingly contradicting results. Here we solve the paradox by introducing a new structural model, i.e., semi-paracrystalline organization. The model establishes that the microstructure of these materials relies on a dense array of small paracrystalline domains embedded in a more disordered matrix. Thus, the overall structural order relies on two parameters: the novel concept of degree of paracrystallinity (i.e., paracrystalline volume/mass fraction, introduced here for the first time) and the lattice distortion parameter of paracrystalline domains (g-parameter from X-ray scattering). Structural parameters of the model are correlated with long-range charge carrier transport, revealing that charge transport in semi-paracrystalline materials is particularly sensitive to the interconnection of paracrystalline domains.

Graphical abstract: Semi-paracrystallinity in semi-conducting polymers

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
20 rugp. 2021
Accepted
14 gruod. 2021
First published
15 gruod. 2021

Mater. Horiz., 2022,9, 1196-1206

Semi-paracrystallinity in semi-conducting polymers

S. Marina, E. Gutierrez-Fernandez, J. Gutierrez, M. Gobbi, N. Ramos, E. Solano, J. Rech, W. You, L. Hueso, A. Tercjak, H. Ade and J. Martin, Mater. Horiz., 2022, 9, 1196 DOI: 10.1039/D1MH01349A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements