Multi-scale ordering in highly stretchable polymer semiconducting films

• Published in: Nature materials Vol. 18; no. 6; pp. 594 - 601
• Main Authors: Xu, Jie, Wu, Hung-Chin, Zhu, Chenxin, Ehrlich, Anatol, Shaw, Leo, Nikolka, Mark, Wang, Sihong, Molina-Lopez, Francisco, Gu, Xiaodan, Luo, Shaochuan, Zhou, Dongshan, Kim, Yun-Hi, Wang, Ging-Ji Nathan, Gu, Kevin, Feig, Vivian Rachel, Chen, Shucheng, Kim, Yeongin, Katsumata, Toru, Zheng, Yu-Qing, Yan, He, Chung, Jong Won, Lopez, Jeffrey, Murmann, Boris, Bao, Zhenan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 01.06.2019; Springer Nature - Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Alignment; Carrier mobility; Carrier transport; Charge transport; CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; Current carriers; MATERIALS SCIENCE; Molecular conformation; Polymer films; Polymers; Roller coating; Semiconducting films; Shearing
• ISSN: 1476-1122; 1476-4660
• DOI: 10.1038/s41563-019-0340-5

Stretchable semiconducting polymers have been developed as a key component to enable skin-like wearable electronics, but their electrical performance must be improved to enable more advanced functionalities. Here, we report a solution processing approach that can achieve multi-scale ordering and alignment of conjugated polymers in stretchable semiconductors to substantially improve their charge carrier mobility. Using solution shearing with a patterned microtrench coating blade, macroscale alignment of conjugated-polymer nanostructures was achieved along the charge transport direction. In conjunction, the nanoscale spatial confinement aligns chain conformation and promotes short-range π-π ordering, substantially reducing the energetic barrier for charge carrier transport. As a result, the mobilities of stretchable conjugated-polymer films have been enhanced up to threefold and maintained under a strain up to 100%. This method may also serve as the basis for large-area manufacturing of stretchable semiconducting films, as demonstrated by the roll-to-roll coating of metre-scale films.