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Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Preparation of Monodomain Liquid Crystal Elastomers and Liquid Crystal Elastomer Nanocomposites
Published on: February 6, 2016
Thermally induced solid-state phase transition of bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl) pentacene crystals
Jihua Chen1, John Anthony, David C Martin
1Macromolecular Science and Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, The University of Michigan, 2300 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
Abstract:
Bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl) pentacene (TIPS pentacene) is a functionalized pentacene derivative designed to enhance both the solution solubility and solid-state packing of pentacene. In this paper, we report our observations of a solid-state phase transition in TIPS pentacene crystals upon heating or cooling. Evidence from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), hot-stage optical microscopy, as well as high-temperature X-ray and electron diffraction are presented. A reasonable match with experimental data is obtained with molecular modeling. Our results reveal that the transition is associated with a conformational reorganization of the TIPS side groups, accompanied by a slight decrease in the acene-to-acene spacing and a shift of the overlap between the neighboring pentacene units. The observed cracking should be avoided or minimized in TIPS pentacene-based thin film transistors to maintain their relatively high charge carrier mobility.
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