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Suppressing crystallization in solution-processed thin films of organic semiconductors

  • Polymers/Soft Matter Research Letter
  • Published:
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Abstract

Glassy organic semiconductors provide a convenient host for dispersing guest molecules, such as dopants or light-emitting chromophores. However, many glass-forming compounds will crystallize overtime leading to changes in performance and stability in devices. Methods to stabilize amorphous molecular solids are therefore desirable. We demonstrate that solution-processable glasses can be formed from a mixture of 8,8’-biindeno[2,1-b]thiophenylene (BTP) atropisomers. While the trans isomer of methylated BTP, (E)-MeBTP crystallizes in spin-cast films, the addition of (Z)-MeBTP slows the growth of the spherulites. X-ray scattering and optical microscopy indicate that films containing 40% (Z)-MeBTP do not crystallize, even with the addition of nucleation agents and aging for several months.

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Acknowledgments

J. S and M. L. C were supported by NSF DMR award 1410438. This work made use of MRL Central Facilities supported by the MRSEC Program of the National Science Foundation under award No. DMR 1121053. Use of the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Contract No. DE-AC02-76SF00515.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA

    Jes B. Sherman, Guang Wu & Craig J. Hawker

  2. Materials Department, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA

    Chien-Yang Chiu, Ryan Fagenson, Craig J. Hawker & Michael L. Chabinyc

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  1. Jes B. Sherman
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  2. Chien-Yang Chiu
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  3. Ryan Fagenson
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  4. Guang Wu
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  6. Michael L. Chabinyc
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Correspondence to Michael L. Chabinyc.

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Sherman, J.B., Chiu, CY., Fagenson, R. et al. Suppressing crystallization in solution-processed thin films of organic semiconductors. MRS Communications 5, 447–452 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1557/mrc.2015.60

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