Cyano- and chloro-substituted coronene diimides as solution-processable electron-transporting semiconductors

Area of Science:

• Organic electronics
• Materials science
• Semiconductor physics

Background:

• Coronene diimides are promising organic semiconductor materials.
• Tuning molecular structure is key to enhancing electronic properties.
• Low LUMO levels are desirable for n-type semiconductors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel tetracyanocoronene and tetrachlorocoronene diimides.
• To investigate their n-type semiconductive properties in solution-processed field-effect transistors (OFETs).
• To understand the impact of side chain structure on device performance.

Main Methods:

• Chemical synthesis of target coronene diimide derivatives.
• Fabrication of organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) using solution processing.
• Electrical characterization of OFETs, including electron mobility measurements in air.

Main Results:

• Developed 3,4,9,10-tetracyano- and tetrachlorocoronene-1,6,7,12-tetracarboxy diimides with low LUMO levels (-3.9 to -4.2 eV).
• Achieved potent n-type semiconductive behavior in solution-processed OFETs.
• Measured high electron mobilities up to 0.16 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) in ambient air.
• Demonstrated the significant influence of side chain structures on semiconductive properties.

Conclusions:

• Novel coronene diimide derivatives show excellent n-type semiconductor characteristics.
• Solution-processed OFETs based on these materials exhibit competitive electron mobilities.
• Side chain engineering offers a viable strategy for tailoring the performance of organic semiconductors.