A General Method for Growing Two-Dimensional Crystals of Organic Semiconductors by "Solution Epitaxy"

Two-dimensional (2D) crystals of organic semiconductors (2DCOS) have attracted attention for large-area and low-cost flexible optoelectronics. However, growing large 2DCOS in controllable ways and transferring them onto technologically important substrates, remain key challenges. Herein we report a facile, general, and effective method to grow 2DCOS up to centimeter size which can be transferred to any substrate efficiently. The method named "solution epitaxy" involves two steps. The first is to self-assemble micrometer-sized 2DCOS on water surface. The second is epitaxial growth of them into millimeter or centimeter sized 2DCOS with thickness of several molecular layers. The general applicability of this method for the growth of 2DCOS is demonstrated by nine organic semiconductors with different molecular structures. Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) based on the 2DCOS demonstrated high performance, confirming the high quality of the 2DCOS.