Uniform electroactive fibre-like micelle nanowires for organic electronics

Abstract

Micelles formed by the self-assembly of block copolymers in selective solvents have attracted widespread attention and have uses in a wide variety of fields, whereas applications based on their electronic properties are virtually unexplored. Herein we describe studies of solution-processable, low-dispersity, electroactive fibre-like micelles of controlled length from π-conjugated diblock copolymers containing a crystalline regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) core and a solubilizing, amorphous regiosymmetric poly(3-hexylthiophene) or polystyrene corona. Tunnelling atomic force microscopy measurements demonstrate that the individual fibres exhibit appreciable conductivity. The fibres were subsequently incorporated as the active layer in field-effect transistors. The resulting charge carrier mobility strongly depends on both the degree of polymerization of the core-forming block and the fibre length, and is independent of corona composition. The use of uniform, colloidally stable electroactive fibre-like micelles based on common π-conjugated block copolymers highlights their significant potential to provide fundamental insight into charge carrier processes in devices, and to enable future electronic applications.

Synthesis of polymeric organic semiconductors using semifluorinated polymer precursors

“…These properties may be advantageous for applications in self‐assembled materials, however, in which block copolymer micelles with a soluble corona and an insoluble core are desired. Indeed, the self‐assembly of thiophene‐containing block copolymers has been used to create many complex nanostructured materials, including fluorescent nanobeads, micellar fibers of controlled length, and “block co‐micelles” by crystallization‐driven self‐assembly …”

Recent progress in block copolymer crystallization

“…The crystallization‐driven assembly of P3HT as well as association of cbp moieties in the copolymer and ZnO or CdS ligands improved all J‐V characteristics including V OC , J SC , FF, and PCE when compared to nonassembly driven mixtures of similar components as shown in Table . Using CDSA of regiosymmetric P3HT‐ b ‐regioregular P3HT, Li and coworkers demonstrated good conductivity in the fibers and analyzed them as active layers in field‐effect transistor applications.…”

One‐dimensional growth kinetics for formation of cylindrical crystalline micelles of block copolymers

“…By contrast, spherical crystalline micelles basically have no growth process and two‐dimensional lamellar micelles grow along four directions. The cylindrical micelles of BCPs also have a wide range of potential applications in various fields, including optoelectronic materials, catalysis and biomedical materials . The high aspect ratio of cylindrical micelles is advantageous to applications under some situations, as compared with the micelles with other morphologies.…”