Photo‐Patternable Stretchable Semi‐Interpenetrating Polymer Semiconductor Network Using Thiol–Ene Chemistry for Field‐Effect Transistors

• Published in: Advanced functional materials Vol. 33; no. 15
• Main Authors: Tien, Hsin‐Chiao, Li, Xin, Liu, Chang‐Jing, Li, Yang, He, Mingqian, Lee, Wen‐Ya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.04.2023
• Subjects: Corrosion resistance; Electronic properties; Electronics; field‐effect transistors; Hole mobility; Interpenetrating networks; Mass production; Materials science; Photolithography; Polymer blends; polymer semiconductors; Polymers; Rubber; Semiconductor devices; Semiconductors; Stretchability; stretchable electronics; Transistors; Ultraviolet radiation
• ISSN: 1616-301X; 1616-3028
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202211108

Stretchable polymer semiconductors are an essential component for skin‐inspired electronics. However, the lack of scalable patterning capability of stretchable polymer semiconductors limits the development of stretchable electronics. To address this issue, photo‐curable stretchable polymer blends consisting of a high‐mobility donor–acceptor conjugated polymer and an elastic rubber through thiol–ene chemistry are developed. The thiol–ene reaction can selectively cross‐link the rubber with alkene or vinyl groups without damaging the electronic properties of the conjugated polymer. The conjugated polymer chains embedded in the elastic polymer matrix induce a semi‐interpenetrating polymer network (SIPN). The thiol–ene‐cross‐linked network provides great solvent resistance and enhances stretchability for the embedded conjugated polymer. The well‐defined patterned film with a feature size of ≈10 µm can be obtained using UV light at 365 nm through conventional photolithography processes. Furthermore, the SIPN‐based transistors show increased mobilities from 0.61 to 1.18 cm2 V−1 s−1 when applying the strain from 0% to 100%. Moreover, the hole mobility can still maintain at 0.87 cm2 V−1 s−1 after 1000 strain‐and‐release cycles at the strain of 25%. This study sheds light on the molecular design of photo‐curable polymer semiconductors for the mass production of stretchable circuits. Stretchable polymer semiconductors are an essential component for skin‐inspired electronics. However, the lack of scalable patterning capability of stretchable polymer semiconductors limits the development of stretchable electronics. To address this issue, a photo‐patternable stretchable semi‐interpenetrating polymer network (SIPN) through thiol–ene chemistry is developed. This work provides a way to design photo‐curable polymer semiconductors for the mass production of large‐scale stretchable circuits.