Semi‐perfluoroalkylated perylene diimides for conjugated polymers with high molecular weight and high electron mobility

Perylene diimides (PDIs) and their derivatives are excellent semiconductors, while conjugated polymers based on PDIs have limited applications because of their low electron mobility (μ_e) derived from low molecular weight. The reported maximum number‐average molecular weight (M_n) of related polymers is only 21 kDa because PDIs have very poor solubility due to strong π–π stacking of their big planar conjugated cores. Herein, it is found that suitable semi‐perfluoroalkyl groups could enhance the solubility of PDIs significantly, and a series of semi‐perfluoroalkyl modified conjugated polymers with high molecular weight and electron mobility were synthesized. The maximum M_n reaches 94.8 kDa [P(4C_F8C_H‐PDI‐T2)_HW]. In their space‐charge‐limited current (SCLC) devices, all polymers exhibit typical characters of electron transporting semiconductors, and the highest μ_e is up to 8.40 × 10⁻³ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ [P(4C_F8C_H‐PDI‐T2)_HW], which is similar as that of widely used electron transporting semiconductor PC₆₁BM (6.41 × 10⁻³ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹). © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 116–124     

An n-Type Polythiophene Derivative with Excellent Thermoelectric Performance

Typical n-type conjugated polymers are based on fused-ring electron-accepting building blocks. Herein, we report a non-fused-ring strategy to design n-type conjugated polymers, i.e. introducing electron-withdrawing imide or cyano groups to each thiophene unit of a non-fused-ring polythiophene backbone. The resulting polymer, n-PT1 , shows low LUMO/HOMO energy levels of −3.91 eV/−6.22 eV, high electron mobility of 0.39 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and high crystallinity in thin film. After n-doping, n-PT1 exhibits excellent thermoelectric performance with an electrical conductivity of 61.2 S cm⁻¹ and a power factor (PF) of 141.7 μW m⁻¹ K⁻². This PF is the highest value reported so far for n-type conjugated polymers and this is the first time for polythiophene derivatives to be used in n-type organic thermoelectrics. The excellent thermoelectric performance of n-PT1 is due to its superior tolerance to doping. This work indicates that polythiophene derivatives without fused rings are low-cost and high-performance n-type conjugated polymers.     

An A‐D‐A′‐D‐A Conjugated Molecule Entailing Diazapentalene Unit for an n‐Type Organic Semiconductor

Conjugated molecules with low lying LUMO levels are demanding for the development of air stable n‐type organic semiconductors. In this paper, we report a new A‐D‐A′‐D‐A conjugated molecule ( DAPDCV ) entailing diazapentalene (DAP) and dicyanovinylene groups as electron accepting units. Both theoretical and electrochemical studies manifest that the incorporation of DAP unit in the conjugated molecule can effectively lower the LUMO energy level. Accordingly, thin film of DAPDCV shows n‐type semiconducting behavior with electron mobility up to 0.16 cm²?V^?1?s^?1 after thermal annealing under N₂ atmosphere. Moreover, thin film of DAPDCV also shows stable n‐type transporting property in air with mobility reaching 0.078 cm²?V^?1?s^?1.     

Incorporation of 2,6‐Connected Azulene Units into the Backbone of Conjugated Polymers: Towards High‐Performance Organic Optoelectronic Materials

Azulene is a promising candidate for constructing optoelectronic materials. An effective strategy is presented to obtain high‐performance conjugated polymers by incorporating 2,6‐connected azulene units into the polymeric backbone, and two conjugated copolymers P(TBAzDI‐TPD) and P(TBAzDI‐TFB) were designed and synthesized based on this strategy. They are the first two examples for 2,6‐connected azulene‐based conjugated polymers and exhibit unipolar n‐type transistor performance with an electron mobility of up to 0.42 cm² V^?1 s^?1, which is among the highest values for n‐type polymeric semiconductors in bottom‐gate top‐contact organic field‐effect transistors. Preliminary all‐polymer solar cell devices with P(TBAzDI‐TPD) as the electron acceptor and PTB7‐Th as the electron donor display a power conversion efficiency of 1.82 %.     

A Three-Dimensional Porous Organic Semiconductor Based on Fully sp2-Hybridized Graphitic Polymer

Dimensionality plays an important role in the charge transport properties of organic semiconductors. Although three-dimensional semiconductors, such as Si, are common in inorganic materials, imparting electrical conductivity to covalent three-dimensional organic polymers is challenging. Now, the synthesis of a three-dimensional π-conjugated porous organic polymer (3D p-POP) using catalyst-free Diels–Alder cycloaddition polymerization followed by acid-promoted aromatization is presented. With a surface area of 801 m² g⁻¹, full conjugation throughout the carbon backbone, and an electrical conductivity of 6(2)×10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ upon treatment with I₂ vapor, the 3D p-POP is the first member of a new class of permanently porous 3D organic semiconductors.     

Conjugated polymers based on 1,8‐naphthalene monoimide with high electron mobility

1,4,8,9‐Naphthalene diimides (NDIs) with strong electron accepting ability and high stability are excellent building blocks for semiconductor polymers. However, 1,8‐naphthalene monoimide (NMI) with similar structure and energy levels as that of NDI has never been used to construct conjugated polymers because of synthetic difficulty. Herein, 3,6‐dibromo‐NMI (DBNMI) with bulky alkyl groups was obtained effectively in a four‐step synthesis, and three donor‐acceptor (D‐A) type conjugated polymers based on NMI were firstly prepared. These polymers have strong absorption in the range of 300–600 nm, low LUMO level of 3.68 eV, and moderate bandgaps of 2.18 eV. Space charge limiting current measurements indicate these polymers are typical electron transporting materials, and the highest electron mobility is up to 5.8 × 10⁻³ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹, which is close to the star acceptor based on NDI (N2200, 5.0 × 10⁻³ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹). © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 276–281     

Diazaisoindigo bithiophene and terthiophene copolymers for application in field‐effect transistors and solar cells

Two donor–acceptor conjugated polymers with azaisoindigo as acceptor units and bithiophene and terthiophene as donor units have been synthesized by Stille polymerization. These two polymers have been successfully applied in field‐effect transistors and polymer solar cells. By changing the donor component of the conjugated polymer backbone from bithiophene to terthiophene, the density of thiophene in the backbone is increased, manifesting as a decrease in both ionization potential and in electron affinity. Therefore, the charge transport in field‐effect transistors switches from ambipolar to predominantly hole transport behavior. PAIIDTT exhibits hole mobility up to 0.40 cm²/Vs and electron mobility of 0.02 cm²/Vs, whereas PAIIDTTT exhibits hole mobility of 0.62 cm²/Vs. Polymer solar cells were fabricated based on these two polymers as donors with PC₆₁BM and PC₇₁BM as acceptor where PAIIDTT shows a modest efficiency of 2.57% with a very low energy loss of 0.55 eV, while PAIIDTTT shows a higher efficiency of 6.16% with a higher energy loss of 0.74 eV. Our results suggest that azaisoindgo is a useful building block for the development of efficient polymer solar cells with further improvement possibility by tuning the alternative units on the polymer backbone. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 2691–2699     

Electronic Interactions of n‐Doped Perylene Diimide Groups Appended to Polynorbornene Chains: Implications for Electron Transport in Organic Electronics

A polymer consisting of a polynorbornene backbone with perylene diimide (PDI) pendant groups on each monomeric unit is synthesized via ring opening metathesis polymerization. The PDI pendant groups along the polymer backbone, studied by UV–vis absorption, fluorescence emission, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy in addition to electrochemical methods, show evidence of molecular aggregation and corresponding electronic coupling with neighboring groups, which forms pathways for efficient electron transport from one group to another in a specific reduced form. When n‐doped, the title polymer shows redox conductivity of 5.4 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹, comparable with crystalline PDI materials, and is therefore a promising material for use in organic electronics.     

Improved EL efficiency of fluorene‐thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene‐based conjugated copolymers with hole‐transporting or electron‐transporting units in the main chain

New electroluminescent polymers (poly(9,9′‐dioctylfluorene‐co‐thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene‐co‐benzo[2,3,5]thiadiazole) ( P1) and poly(9,9′‐dioctylfluorene‐co‐thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene‐co‐benzo[2,3,5]thiadiazole‐co‐[4‐(2‐ethylhexyloxyl)phenyl]diphenylamine ( P2) ) possess hole‐transporting or electron‐transporting units or both in the main chains. Electron‐deficient benzothiadiazole and electron‐rich triphenylamine moieties were incorporated into the polymer backbone to improve the electron‐transporting and hole‐transporting characteristics, respectively. P1 and P2 show greater solubility than poly(9,9′‐dioctylfluorene‐co‐thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene ( PFTT ), without sacrificing their good thermal stability. Moreover, owing to the incorporation of the electron‐deficient benzothiadiazole unit, P1 and P2 exhibit remarkably lower LUMO levels than PFTT , and thus, it should facilitate the electron injection into the polymer layer from the cathode electrode. Consequently, because of the balance of charge mobility, LED devices based on P1 and P2 exhibit greater brightness and efficiency (up to 3000 cd/m² and 1.35 cd/A) than devices that use the pristine PFTT . © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 243–253, 2006     

Polymeric Semiconductors with a Pre‐Specified Alternation of Conjugated Bonds and Metal Clusters

Summary: In this work the first samples of polymeric semiconductors of a new structure are produced. Their electric conductivity is of the order ∼10⁻² Ohm⁻¹ · cm⁻¹ and it increases with temperature. Their synthesis includes a stage of radiation grafting of a matrix‐type on stretched polyamide films. Conducting molecular circuits in such materials include fragments with conjugated bonds and metal clusters. The alternation of these fragments is determined by the polyamide matrix.

Plot of voltage versus current determined for new polymer semiconducting films where fragments with conjugated bonds alternate with silver clusters.     

A Three‐Dimensional Porous Organic Semiconductor Based on Fully sp2‐Hybridized Graphitic Polymer

Dimensionality plays an important role in the charge transport properties of organic semiconductors. Although three‐dimensional semiconductors, such as Si, are common in inorganic materials, imparting electrical conductivity to covalent three‐dimensional organic polymers is challenging. Now, the synthesis of a three‐dimensional π‐conjugated porous organic polymer (3D p‐POP) using catalyst‐free Diels–Alder cycloaddition polymerization followed by acid‐promoted aromatization is presented. With a surface area of 801 m² g^?1, full conjugation throughout the carbon backbone, and an electrical conductivity of 6(2)×10^?4 S cm^?1 upon treatment with I₂ vapor, the 3D p‐POP is the first member of a new class of permanently porous 3D organic semiconductors.     

High electron mobility in ladder polymer field-effect transistors

Field-effect mobility of electrons as high as 0.1 cm2/(V s) is observed in n-channel thin film transistors fabricated from a solution spin-coated conjugated ladder polymer, poly(benzobisimidazobenzophenanthroline) (BBL), under ambient air conditions. This is the highest electron mobility observed to date in a conjugated polymer semiconductor. Comparative studies of n-channel thin film transistors made from a structurally similar nonladder conjugated polymer BBB gave an electron mobility of 10-6 cm2/(V s). These results demonstrate that electron transport can be as facile as hole transport in conjugated polymer semiconductors and that ladder architecture of a conjugated polymer can substantially enhance charge carrier mobility.     

Selenophene‐Flanked Diketopyrrolopyrrole Based Conjugated Polymers for Ambipolar Field‐Effect Transistors

The development of selenophene‐flanked DPP (SeDPP) based copolymers, especially for the ambipolar ones, lags behind other aromatic group flanked DPP‐based polymers. Herein, we report two new ambipolar SeDPP‐based conjugated polymers. One is the alternating polymer PSeDPPFT with normal SeDPP and 3,4‐difluorothiophene units. The other is PSeFDFT , in which the electron acceptor unit is replaced by a new SeDPP derivative, referred as to half‐fused SeDPP. The more planar structure of half‐fused SeDPP endows the backbone of PSeFDFT with good rigidity and planarity. Both polymers exhibit ambipolar transporting properties in air. The PSeFDFT based field‐effect transistors (FETs) display higher and more balanced ambipolar properties with μ_h^ave of 0.27 cm²·V^–1·s^–1, μ_e^ave of 0.18 cm²·V^–1·s^–1, and μ_h^ave/μ_e^ave of 1.5 than those of PSeDPPFT (μ_h^ave = 0.11 cm²·V^–1·s^–1, μ_e^ave = 0.042 cm²·V^–1·s^–1, and μ_h/μ_e = 2.6). This is attributed to the more planar structure, lower LUMO level, higher HOMO level, and better interchain packing orientations of PSeFDFT by comparing with PSeDPPFT . Therefore, a new molecular design strategy to modulate the hole and electron transporting properties is proposed for conjugated D‐A polymers.     

Conjugated and Non-conjugated Polymers Containing Two-Electron Redox Dihydrophenazines for Lithium-Organic Batteries

Organic p-type cathode materials have recently attracted increasing attention due to their higher redox potentials and rate capabilities in comparison to n-type cathodes. However, most of the p-type cathodes based on one-electron redox still suffer from limited stability and low specific capacity (<150 mAh g⁻¹). Herein, two polymers, conjugated poly(diethyldihydrophenazine vinylene) ( CPP ) and non-conjugated poly(diethyldihydrophenazine ethylidene) ( NCPP ) containing two-electron redox dihydrophenazine, have been developed as p-type cathode materials. It is experimentally and theoretically found that the conjugated linkage among the redox centers in polymer CPP is more favorable for the effective charge delocalization on the conjugated polymer backbone and the sufficient oxidation in the higher potential region (3.3–4.2 V vs. Li/Li⁺). Consequently, the CPP cathode displays a higher reversible specific capacity of 184 mAh g⁻¹ with excellent cycling stability.     

Diketopyrrolopyrrole‐Porphyrin Based Conjugated Polymers for Ambipolar Field‐Effect Transistors

Porphyrin‐based molecules have been widely used in dye‐sensitized solar cells and bulk heterojunction solar cells, but their application in field‐effect transistors (FETs) is limited. In this work, two conjugated polymers based on diketopyrrolopyrrole and porphyrin units were developed for FETs. The polymers exhibit extra‐low band gap with energy levels close to −4.0 eV and −5.0 eV due to the strong electron‐donating and withdrawing ability of porphyrin and diketopyrrolopyrrole. With additionally high crystalline properties, ambipolar charge carrier transports with a hole mobility of 0.1 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ in FETs were realized in these polymers, representing the highest performance in solution‐processed FETs based on porphyrin unit.     

Preparation of hole transporting polymers by condensation polymerization of triphenylamine derivatives

Hole transporting polymers were prepared by condensation polymerization of triphenylamine and N,N,N',N'‐tetraphenylbenzidine (TPD) having alkyl group with aldehydes in the presence of p‐toluenesulfonic acid. The obtained polymers had molecular weight higher than 10,000 and good film formation ability. It was found that the aromatic amine monomers were connected with aldehyde monomer at the p‐position of the phenyl group. TPD‐aldehyde polymers had almost the same UV absorption and redox potentials as those of TPD monomer indicating that the electronic structure of amine unit did not change by the polymerization. The hole transporting mobility was in the range of 10⁻³‐10⁻⁶cm²/Vs. The electroluminescent device consisting of ITO/TPD polymer/Alq/Mg‐Ag had a maximum luminance of 9000 cd/m².     

Investigation of spacer influences in phosphorescent‐emitting nonconjugated PLED systems

An assay was introduced to clarify influences on electroluminescent behavior for RGB‐colored phosphorescent terpolymers with N,N‐Di‐p‐tolyl‐aniline as hole‐transporting unit, 2‐(4‐biphenyl)‐5‐(4‐tert‐butylphenyl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole (tert‐BuPBD) as electron‐transporting unit, and different iridium complexes in RGB‐colors as triplet emitting materials. All monomers were attached with spacer moieties to the “para” position of a polystyrene. Polymer light emitting diodes (PLEDs) were built to study the electro‐optical behavior of these materials. The gist was a remarkable influence of hexyl‐spacer units to the PLED performance. For all three colors only very restricted PLED performances were found. In comparison RGB‐terpolymers were synthesized with directly attached charge transport materials to the polymer backbone. For this directly linked systems efficiencies were 28 cd A^?1 @ 6 V (green), 4.9 cd A^?1 @ 5 V (red) and 4.3 cd A^?1 @ 6 V (bluish). In summary we assume that an improved charge percolation pathways regarding to the higher content of semiconducting molecules and an improved charge transfer to the phosphorescent dopand in the case of the copolymers without spacers are responsible for the better device performance comparing the copolymers with hexyl spacers. The approach of the directly connected charge transport materials at the nonconjugated styrene polymer backbone should be favored for further investigations, therefore. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 389–402, 2010     

Dithieno[3,2‐b:2′,3′‐d]pyrrole Cored p‐Type Semiconductors Enabling 20 % Efficiency Dopant‐Free Perovskite Solar Cells

Organic p‐type semiconductors with tunable structures offer great opportunities for hybrid perovskite solar cells (PVSCs). We report herein two dithieno[3,2‐b:2′,3′‐d]pyrrole (DTP) cored molecular semiconductors prepared through π‐conjugation extension and an N‐alkylation strategy. The as‐prepared conjugated molecules exhibit a highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level of ?4.82 eV and a hole mobility up to 2.16×10^?4 cm² V^?1 s^?1. Together with excellent film‐forming and over 99 % photoluminescence quenching efficiency on perovskite, the DTP based semiconductors work efficiently as hole‐transporting materials (HTMs) for n‐i‐p structured PVSCs. Their dopant‐free MA_0.7FA_0.3PbI_2.85Br_0.15 devices exhibit a power conversion efficiency over 20 %, representing one of the highest values for un‐doped molecular HTMs based PVSCs. This work demonstrates the great potential of using a DTP core in designing efficient semiconductors for dopant‐free PVSCs.     

Diketopyrrolopyrrole‐based acceptor–acceptor conjugated polymers: The importance of comonomer on their charge transportation nature

Besides the donor–acceptor (D–A) type, acceptor–acceptor (A–A) polymers are another class of important alternative conjugated copolymers, but have been less studied in the past. In this study, two kinds of A–A polymers, P1 and P2 , have been designed and synthesized based on diketopyrrolopyrrole in combination with the second electron‐deficient unit, perylenediimide or thieno[3,4‐c]pyrrole‐4,6‐dione. UV–vis absorption spectroscopy revealed that these two kinds of polymers have a band gap of 1.28–1.33 eV. Their highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy levels are around ?5.6 and ?4.0 eV for P1 polymers, whereas ?5.4 and ?3.7 eV for P2 polymers, respectively. Density functional theory study disclosed that P1 backbone is in a vastly twisting state, whereas that of P2 is completely planar. Furthermore, organic field‐effect transistor devices were fabricated using these two kinds of polymers as the active material. Of interest, the devices based on P1 polymers displayed n‐channel behaviors with an electron mobility in the order of 10^?4 cm² V^?1 s^?1. In contrast, the P2 ‐based devices exhibited only p‐channel charge transportation characteristics with a hole mobility in the order of 10^?3 cm² V^?1 s^?1. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 2356–2366     

Heterogenization of Salen Metal Molecular Catalysts in Covalent Organic Frameworks for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Integrating a molecular catalyst with a light harvester into a photocatalyst is an effective strategy for solar light conversion. However, it is challenging to establish a crystallized framework with well-organized connections that favour charge separation and transfer. Herein, we report the heterogenization of a Salen metal complex molecular catalyst into a rigid covalent organic framework (COF) through covalent linkage with the light-harvesting unit of pyrene for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The chemically conjugated bonds between the two units contribute to fast photogenerated electron transfer and thereby promote the proton reduction reaction. The Salen cobalt-based COF showed the best hydrogen evolution activity (1378 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹), which is superior to the previously reported nonnoble metal based COF photocatalysts. This work provides a strategy to construct atom-efficient photocatalysts by the heterogenization of molecular catalysts into covalent organic frameworks.