Converting a Semiconducting Polymer from Ambipolar into n‐Type Dominant by Amine End‐Capping. Issue 2 (20th December 2016) - Quinn, Jesse
Abstract: A donor‐acceptor polymer of (3 E, 7 E )‐3, 7‐bis(2‐oxoindolin‐3‐ylidene)benzo[1, 2‐ b : 4, 5‐ b ′]difuran‐2, 6(3 H, 7 H )‐dione (IBDF) and bithiophene (BT) exhibits typical ambipolar charge transport behaviour in organic thin film transistors. Using the electron rich triphenylamine as an end capping group, a notable suppression of hole transport is observed. This interesting phenomenon is accounted for by the hole trapping effect of the triphenylamine end‐capper. Thus, this study provides a novel and facile approach to tuning the charge carrier polarity of a polymer semiconductor from ambipolar to n‐type dominant. Abstract : Amine end‐capping is found to be a simplistic method to transform a semiconducting polymer from ambipolar to n‐type dominant. The triphenylamine end group used in this study functions as an intramolecular hole trap to effectively suppress hole transport. This covalently bound trapping site offers thermally robust n‐type dominant performance compared with previous approaches.