Structural investigations into a new polymorph of F4TCNQ: towards enhanced semiconductor properties

Acta Crystallogr C Struct Chem. 2021 Jul 1;77(Pt 7):426-434. doi: 10.1107/S2053229621006252. Epub 2021 Jun 28.

Abstract

During the course of research into the structure of 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4TCNQ), C12F4N4, an important compound in charge-transfer and organic semiconductor research, a previously unreported polymorph of F4TCNQ was grown concomitantly with the known polymorph from a saturated solution of dichloromethane. The structure was elucidated using single-crystal X-ray diffraction and it was found that the new polymorph packs with molecules in parallel layers, in a similar manner to the layered structure of F2TCNQ. The structure was analysed using Hirshfeld surface analysis, fingerprint plots and pairwise interaction energies, and compared to existing data. The structure of a toluene solvate of F4TCNQ is also reported.

Keywords: F4TCNQ; charge transfer; crystal structure; pairwise interaction energies; polymorphism; quinodimethane; semiconductor.