Simultaneous Incorporation of Two Types of Azo‐Groups in the Side Chains of a Conjugated D–A Polymer for Logic Control of the Semiconducting Performance by Light Irradiation

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) Vol. 33; no. 8; pp. e2005613 - n/a
• Main Authors: Tian, Jianwu, Liu, Zitong, Wu, Changchun, Jiang, Wenlin, Chen, Liangliang, Shi, Dandan, Zhang, Xisha, Zhang, Guanxin, Zhang, Deqing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.02.2021
• Subjects: arylazopyrazole; Azo compounds; conjugated semiconducting polymers; Field effect transistors; Isomerization; Light irradiation; Logic circuits; Materials science; optically tunable field‐effect transistors; Polymer films; Polymers; tetra‐ortho‐methoxy‐substituted azobenzene; Thin films; tri‐stable semiconducting states; arylazopyrazole; tri-stable semiconducting states; conjugated semiconducting polymers; tetra-ortho-methoxy-substituted azobenzene; optically tunable field-effect transistors
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.202005613

A new design strategy for photoresponsive semiconducting polymer with tri‐stable semiconducting states is reported by simultaneous incorporation of tetra‐ortho‐methoxy‐substituted azobenzene (mAzo) and arylazopyrazole (pAzo) in the side chains. The trans‐to‐cis transformations for mAzo and pAzo groups can sequentially occur within the polymer thin film after sequential 560 and 365 nm light irradiation. Remarkably, the trans–cis isomerization of mAzo and pAzo groups can modulate the thin film crystallinity. Accordingly, the performances of the resulting field‐effect transistors (FETs) can be reversibly modulated, leading to tri‐stable semiconducting states after sequential 560, 365, and 470 nm light irradiation. Therefore, the device performance can be logically controlled by light irradiation at three different wavelengths. In addition, with light irradiation and device current as the input and output signals, the three‐value logic gate by using single FET device can be successfully mimicked. Conjugated D–A polymers with two types of azo groups, for which trans–cis isomerization can sequentially occur with light irradiation at different wavelengths, in the side chains possess tri‐stable semiconducting states. As a consequence, the performance of the resulting field‐effect transistors can be logically controlled by light irradiation at three different wavelengths, mimicking three‐value logic gates.