The role of fused thiophene and naphthalene diimide (NDI) in shaping the optical and electrical properties of donor-acceptor polymers

Dang Anh, Klaudia; dos Santos, Paloma L.; Saeed, Mana; Chaudhry, Mujeeb U.; Bechtold, Ivan H.; Batycki, Adam; Drewniak, Anna; Szlapa-Kula, Agata; Ledwon, Przemyslaw

Abstract

Three polymers with general structure (D-A)n were designed and synthetized to investigate the interaction of strong donors and strong acceptors in polymer chain. They are based on different fused thiophenes (1Th: 4,4′-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-cyclopenta [2,1-b:3,4- ’]dithiophene; 2Th: 4,8-bis [(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]benzo [1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene; 3Th: 4,8-bis(4-fluoro-5-(2-ethylhexyl)-thiophen-2-yl)benzo [1,2-b:4,5-b']bisthiophene) and N,N′-bis(2-thylhexyl)-1,8:4,5-naphthalenetetracarboxdiimide (NDI). Fused benzo- and cyclopenta-thiophene derivatives were selected because they are known for their strong electron-donating properties. NDI was coupled with them in polymer chain because it is one of the best known electron withdrawing units. Such combination of donor and acceptor units is one of the strategies for obtaining low band gap conjugated polymers with semiconducting properties for many applications. The interaction of donors and acceptors is a key factor determining the properties of such polymers. The electrochemical and spectroscopic measurement were supported by DFT calculations. Moreover, organic field effect transistors (OFET) were fabricated to demonstrate the feasibility of using the newly developed materials in electronic devices.

Citation

Dang Anh, K., dos Santos, P. L., Saeed, M., Chaudhry, M. U., Bechtold, I. H., Batycki, A., …Ledwon, P. (2024). The role of fused thiophene and naphthalene diimide (NDI) in shaping the optical and electrical properties of donor-acceptor polymers. Organic Electronics, 129, Article 107058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgel.2024.107058

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 15, 2024
• Online Publication Date: May 3, 2024
• Publication Date: 2024-06
• Deposit Date: Jun 27, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 27, 2024
• Journal: Organic Electronics
• Print ISSN: 1566-1199
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 129
• Article Number: 107058
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgel.2024.107058
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2504531