FUNCTIONALIZED LOW LUMO [1]BENZOTHIENO[3,2-B][1]BENZOTHIOPHENE (BTBT)-BASED MOLECULAR SEMICONDUCTORS FOR ORGANIC FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTORS

Abstract

DAcTTs have provided an excellent π-framework for the development of high mobility p-type molecular semiconductors in the past decade. However, n-type DAcTTs are rare and their electron transporting characteristics remain largely unexplored. In the second chapter of this thesis, the first example of an n-type BTBT-based semiconductor, D(PhFCO)-BTBT, has been realized via a two-step transition metal-free process without using chromatographic purification. The corresponding TC/BG-OFET devices demonstrated μe (max) = ~0.6 cm2/Vs and Ion/Ioff ratio = 107-108. The large band-gap BTBT π-core is a promising candidate for high mobility n-type organic semiconductors and, combination of very large intrinsic charge transport capabilities and optical transparency, may open a new perspective for next-generation (opto)electronics. In the third chapter of this thesis, a series of BTBT-based small molecules, D(C7CO)-BTBT, C7CO-BTBT-CC(CN)2C7, and D(C7CC(CN)2)-BTBT, have been developed in “S-F-BTBT-F-S (F/S: functional group/substituent)” molecular architecture. Combining with D(PhFCO)-BTBT, a molecular library with systematically varied chemical structures has been studied herein for the first time for low LUMO DAcTTs, and key relationships have been elucidated. The molecular engineering perspectives presented in this thesis may give unique insights into the design of novel electron transporting thienoacenes for unconventional optoelectronics.