Dynamic self-stabilization in the electronic and nanomechanical properties of an organic polymer semiconductorShow others and affiliations
2022 (English)In: Nature Communications, E-ISSN 2041-1723, Vol. 13, no 1, article id 3076Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
The field of organic electronics has profited from the discovery of new conjugated semiconducting polymers that have molecular backbones which exhibit resilience to conformational fluctuations, accompanied by charge carrier mobilities that routinely cross the 1 cm(2)/Vs benchmark. One such polymer is indacenodithiophene-co-benzothiadiazole. Previously understood to be lacking in microstructural order, we show here direct evidence of nanosized domains of high order in its thin films. We also demonstrate that its device-based high-performance electrical and thermoelectric properties are not intrinsic but undergo rapid stabilization following a burst of ambient air exposure. The polymer's nanomechanical properties equilibrate on longer timescales owing to an orthogonal mechanism; the gradual sweating-out of residual low molecular weight solvent molecules from its surface. We snapshot the quasistatic temporal evolution of the electrical, thermoelectric and nanomechanical properties of this prototypical organic semiconductor and investigate the subtleties which play on competing timescales. Our study documents the untold and often overlooked story of a polymer device's dynamic evolution toward stability. Organic polymer nanomechanics has been explored through precise nanometre-scale stiffness measurements in a high-mobility semiconducting polymer. Higher eigen-mode atomic force microscopy is used to measure nanomechnical variations in the film texture, as well as the nanoscale order in the material.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer Nature , 2022. Vol. 13, no 1, article id 3076
National Category
Materials Chemistry Polymer Chemistry
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-314898DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30801-xISI: 000805202900030PubMedID: 35654891Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85131157947OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-314898DiVA, id: diva2:1739647
Note
QC 20220627
2022-06-272023-02-272023-03-28Bibliographically approved