Tuning the film morphology and aggregated structure is
a vital
means to improve the performance of the mixed ionic–electronic
conductors in organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs). Herein,
three fluorinated alcohols (FAs), including 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol
(TFE), 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP), and perfluoro-tert-butanol (PFTB), were employed as the alternative solvents
for engineering the n-type small-molecule active layer gNR. Remarkedly, an impressive μC* of 5.12 F
V–1 cm–1 s–1 and a normalized transconductance of 1.216 S cm–1 are achieved from the HFIP-fabricated gNR OECTs, which
is three times higher than that of chloroform. The operational stability
has been significantly enhanced by the FA-fabricated devices. Such
enhancements can be ascribed to the aggregation-induced structural
ordering by FAs during spin coating, which optimizes the microstructure
of the films for a better mixed ion and electron transport. These
results prove the huge research potential of FAs to improve OECT materials’
processability, device performance, and stability, therefore promoting
practical bio-applications.