Many chemists have attempted syntheses of extended π-electron network molecules because of the widespread interest in the chemistry, physics and materials science of such molecules and their potential applications. In particular, extended phenacene molecules, consisting of coplanar fused benzene rings in a repeating W-shaped pattern have attracted much attention because field-effect transistors (FETs) using phenacene molecules show promisingly high performance. Until now, the most extended phenacene molecule available for transistors was [8]phenacene, with eight benzene rings, which showed very high FET performance. Here, we report the synthesis of a more extended phenacene molecule, [9]phenacene, with nine benzene rings. Our synthesis produced enough [9]phenacene to allow the characterization of its crystal and electronic structures, as well as the fabrication of FETs using thin-film and single-crystal [9]phenacene. The latter showed a field-effect mobility as high as 18 cm2 V−1 s−1, which is the highest mobility realized so far in organic single-crystal FETs.

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We performed polarized optical microscope (POM), depolarized light scattering (DPLS) and small-and wide-angle X-ray scattering measurements on the structure formation process or the crystallization process of isotactic polystyrene (iPS) under shear flow below and above the nominal melting temperature T m . It was found that an anisotropic oriented structure termed here as a string-like object was formed in m scale even above the nominal melting temperature and stable for more than 24 hours, but melted at around 270 °C far above the nominal melting temperature. The string-like object acts as a nucleation agent for the folded chain lamella crystal (or the kebab), and was assigned to a precursor of the shish-kebab. We also examined the shear rate dependence of the structure formation to find a critical shear rate for the formation of the string-like object, suggesting the relaxation of the chains plays an important role in the formation of the structure. Based on the results we have discussed the inner structure of the string-like object.

N-doped and In-N-codoped ZnO films were fabricated on quartz glass substrate by sol-gel spin coating. Their p-type conductivities were characterized by the Hall measurements, revealing low resistivities of the order of 10−1Ωcm. Thin-film junctions comprising an undoped ZnO layer and a N-doped ZnO layer displayed the typical rectifying characteristics, suggesting formation of p-n homojunctions at the interfaces.