Effect of Crystallization Kinetics on Microstructure and Charge Transport of Polythiophenes

Kiarash Vakhshouri; Enrique D Gomez

doi:10.1002/marc.201200531

Effect of Crystallization Kinetics on Microstructure and Charge Transport of Polythiophenes

Macromol Rapid Commun. 2012 Dec 21;33(24):2133-7. doi: 10.1002/marc.201200531. Epub 2012 Oct 12.

Authors

Kiarash Vakhshouri¹, Enrique D Gomez^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
² Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA. edg12@psu.edu.
³ Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA. edg12@psu.edu.

PMID: 23060012
DOI: 10.1002/marc.201200531

Abstract

We have examined the effects of crystallization kinetics of poly(3-hexylthiophene) and poly[2,5-bis(3-hexadecylthiophen-2-yl)thieno(3,2-b)thiophene] on microstructure and charge transport. Rapid crystallization increases the density of tie molecules in polythiophenes. As a consequence, ordered regions are better connected resulting in higher charge carrier mobilities. Our results suggest that controlling the crystallization kinetics might be an important factor for maximizing the charge mobility in semicrystalline polythiophene thin films.

Keywords: charge transport; conducting polymers; crystallization; microstructure; morphology; organic field effect transistors.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Crystallization
Electric Conductivity
Kinetics
Semiconductors*
Thiophenes / chemistry*

Substances

Thiophenes
poly(3-hexylthiophene)