Self-assembly of large-scale P3HT patterns by confined evaporation in the capillary tube

Sun, Yingjuan; Xiao, Guihua; Lin, Yuan; Su, Zhaohui; Wang, Qin

doi:10.1039/c4ra13893g

Cited by 17 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…In recent years, some alternative strategies that could more simply enable large-area ordered patterns using controlled evaporative self-assembly (CESA) have been reported. − When a drying droplet is confined in space, evaporation is restricted to the edges, so that an outward capillary flow carries the solvent and solute from the interior to the contact line to compensate for the loss of the solvent, leaving behind a well-ordered patterned subject to the confined geometry. For instance, Lin et al demonstrated macroscopically well-organized gradient patterns of conjugated polymers such as poly(3-butylthiophene) (P3BT), poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), and P3BT- b -P3HT (P3BHT) by evaporating the corresponding polymer solutions in an axially symmetric cylinder on a Si substrate .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large-Scale Alignment of Polymer Semiconductor Nanowires for Efficient Charge Transport via Controlled Evaporation of Confined Fluids

Jeong

Choi

et al. 2018

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

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Long-range alignment of conjugated polymers is as critical as polymer chain packing for achieving efficient charge transport in polymer thin films used in electronic and optoelectronic devices. Here, the present study reports a facile, scalable strategy that enables the deposition of macroscopically aligned polymer semiconductor nanowire (NW)-array films with highly enhanced charge carrier mobility, using a modified controlled evaporative self-assembly (MCESA) technique. Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) based on highly oriented poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT)-NW films exhibit more than 10-fold enhancement of carrier mobility, with the highest mobility of 0.13 cm2 V–1 s–1, compared to the OFETs based on pristine P3HT films. Significantly, large-area aligned P3HT NW-films, which are deposited over 12 arrays of transistors on a 4 in. wafer by an MCESA coating, result in lower device performance variation (i.e., standard deviation ≈ ±0.0172 (16%) cm2 V–1 s–1) as well as an excellent average device performance (i.e., average charge mobility ≈ 0.11 cm2 V–1 s–1), compared to those obtained using the conventional CESA coating, overcoming a critical challenge in the field of OFETs.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large-Scale Alignment of Polymer Semiconductor Nanowires for Efficient Charge Transport via Controlled Evaporation of Confined Fluids

Jeong

Choi

et al. 2018

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

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“…Besides the pure scientific interest to understand the mechanisms responsible for this effect, it can also be important in a variety of technological applications. Evaporative particle deposition is involved in processes such as the controlled evaporative self-assembly (CESA), [1][2][3][4] fabrication of DNA/RNA micro-arrays, 5,6 or more traditional ones including for instance printing and coating.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaporation of Sessile Droplets Laden with Particles and Insoluble Surfactants

2016

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We consider the flow dynamics of a thin evaporating droplet in the presence of an insoluble surfactant and non-interacting particles in the bulk. Based on lubrication theory, we derive a set of evolution equations for the film height, the interfacial surfactant and bulk particle concentrations, taking into account the dependence of the liquid viscosity on the local particle concentration. An important ingredient of our model is that it takes into account the fact that the surfactant adsorbed at the interface hinders evaporation. We perform a parametric study to investigate how the presence of surfactants affects the evaporation process as well as the flow dynamics with and without the presence of particles in the bulk. Our numerical calculations show that the droplet life-time is affected significantly by the balance between the ability of surfactant to * To whom correspondence should be addressed † Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, Patras 26500, Greece ‡ Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Sangareddy 502 285, Telangana, India ¶ Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK 1 enhance spreading suppressing the effect of thermal Marangoni stresses-induced motion and to hinder the evaporation flux through the reduction of effective interfacial are of evaporation, which tend to accelerate and decelerate the evaporation process, respectively. For particle-laden droplets and in the case of dilute solutions, the droplet life-time is found to be weakly-dependent on the initial particle concentration. We also show that the particle deposition patterns are influenced strongly by the direct effect of surfactant on the evaporative flux; in certain cases, the "coffee stain" effect is enhanced significantly. A discussion of the delicate interplay between the effects of capillary pressure, solutal and thermal Marangoni stresses, which drive the liquid flow inside the evaporating droplet giving rise to the observed results is provided herein.

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“…However, an excessively high concentration of P3HT (5.0 mg/mL) may obstruct the formation of the sharp crystal lines due to the increase in viscosity of the P3HT solution as the solvent evaporates (Supporting Information, Figure S17). 37 Increased viscosity induces P3HT coating of the substrate as well as a relatively blunt P3HT crystal line that decreases the height of line (Supporting Information, Figure S17a-iv,b-iv). The parameter study summarized in Figure 4c demonstrates the wide range of programmability for the interval, width, and height of solution processed organic crystals.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-Speed Production of Crystalline Semiconducting Polymer Line Arrays by Meniscus Oscillation Self-Assembly

et al. 2020

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Evaporative self-assembly of semiconducting polymers is a low-cost route to fabricating micrometer and nanoscale features for use in organic and flexible electronic devices. However, in most cases, rate is limited by the kinetics of solvent evaporation, and it is challenging to achieve uniformity over length-and time-scales that are compelling for manufacturing scale-up. In this study, we report highthroughput, continuous printing of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) by a modified doctor blading technique with oscillatory meniscus motionmeniscus-oscillated selfassembly (MOSA), which forms P3HT features ∼100 times faster than previously reported techniques. The meniscus is pinned to a roller, and the oscillatory meniscus motion of the roller generates repetitive cycles of contact-line formation and subsequent slip. The printed P3HT lines demonstrate reproducible and tailorable structures: nanometer scale thickness, micrometer scale width, submillimeter pattern intervals, and millimeter-to-centimeter scale coverage with highly defined boundaries. The line width as well as interval of P3HT patterns can be independently controlled by varying the polymer concentration levels and the rotation rate of the roller. Furthermore, grazing incidence wide-angle Xray scattering (GIWAXS) reveals that this dynamic meniscus control technique dramatically enhances the crystallinity of P3HT. The MOSA process can potentially be applied to other geometries, and to a wide range of solution-based precursors, and therefore will develop for practical applications in printed electronics.

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Self-assembly of large-scale P3HT patterns by confined evaporation in the capillary tube

Cited by 17 publications

References 46 publications

Large-Scale Alignment of Polymer Semiconductor Nanowires for Efficient Charge Transport via Controlled Evaporation of Confined Fluids

Large-Scale Alignment of Polymer Semiconductor Nanowires for Efficient Charge Transport via Controlled Evaporation of Confined Fluids

Evaporation of Sessile Droplets Laden with Particles and Insoluble Surfactants

High-Speed Production of Crystalline Semiconducting Polymer Line Arrays by Meniscus Oscillation Self-Assembly

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