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Phase segregation effect on TIPS pentacene crystallization and morphology for organic thin film transistors

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Abstract

In this study, we report that the vertical phase separation between a small-molecule organic semiconductor and a polymer additive can be utilized to drive semiconductor crystallization, enhance thin film morphology, and improve device performance of solution-processed organic thin film transistors (OTFTs). When 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl) pentacene (TIPS pentacene) was demonstrated as a benchmark semiconductor material to blend with a polyacrylate polymer additive poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate) (P2EHA), it was found that a vertical phase segregation occurred between TIPS pentacene and P2EHA, providing a confinement of anisotropic semiconductor crystallization and resulting in an elevated TIPS pentacene concentration at the charge transport interface. Accordingly, distinctive TIPS pentacene thin film morphology in terms of areal coverage, grain width, and crystal orientation was obtained by varying the loading ratio of the P2EHA polymer additive. Bottom-gate and bottom-contact OTFTs were fabricated to test charge transport and a hole mobility of up to 0.27 cm2/Vs was demonstrated with 80% loading ratio of P2EHA. The effective experimental method and important results as we showcased in this work can be applied to drive crystallization and optimize film morphology of small-molecule organic semiconductors other than TIPS pentacene.

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Acknowledgements

S. Bi would like to thank Science and Technology Project of Liaoning Province (20180540006).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA

    Zhengran He

  2. Key Laboratory for Precision and Non-traditional Machining Technology of the Ministry of Education, Dalian University of Technology Dalian, Liaoning, 116024, China

    Sheng Bi

  3. Electrical and Computer Engineering, Penn State Behrend, Erie, PA, 16563, USA

    Kyeiwaa Asare-Yeboah

  4. Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA

    Ziyang Zhang

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  1. Zhengran He
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He, Z., Bi, S., Asare-Yeboah, K. et al. Phase segregation effect on TIPS pentacene crystallization and morphology for organic thin film transistors. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 31, 4503–4510 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-020-02999-3

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