Enhanced charge transport in polymer thin-film transistors prepared by contact film transfer method

The charge-carrier transport in the structures formed at the surface of various conjugated polymer films is investigated by constructing organic thin-film transistors using a novel and simple contact film transfer method. Thin-film transistors prepared by this transfer process have higher field-effect mobility values compared with conventional spin-coated devices for all the studied polymers. In contrast to previous reports, the hole mobility in regioregular poly(3-alkylthiophene)s does not depend on the length of the alkyl chain when the contact film transfer method is used. These results suggest that the thiophene rings adopt a highly ordered edge-on orientation and strong interchain pi-pi interactions spontaneously form at the polymer/air interface during the spin coating.