Air-stable n-type semiconductor: core-perfluoroalkylated perylene bisimides

Area of Science:

• Organic electronics
• Materials science
• Semiconductor chemistry

Background:

• Perylene bisimides (PBIs) are widely studied organic semiconductors.
• Achieving high performance and stability in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) remains a key challenge.
• Modifying PBI structures can tune their electronic properties and stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel core-perfluoroalkylated perylene bisimides (PBIs).
• To investigate the structural and electronic properties of these new PBIs.
• To evaluate their performance as n-type semiconductors in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs).

Main Methods:

• Efficient synthesis of core-perfluoroalkylated PBIs via copper-mediated perfluoroalkylation of dibrominated PBIs.
• Structural characterization using single-crystal X-ray analysis.
• Fabrication and testing of organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) using the synthesized PBIs.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized a series of core-perfluoroalkylated PBIs.
• Single-crystal X-ray analysis revealed highly twisted aromatic cores due to steric hindrance.
• OFETs fabricated with these PBIs demonstrated remarkable air-stability and good field-effect mobility.

Conclusions:

• Core-perfluoroalkylation is an effective strategy for synthesizing novel PBI derivatives.
• The twisted core structure contributes to the observed semiconductor properties.
• These new PBIs are promising candidates for stable and high-performance n-type organic electronic devices.