Long-range extended chains arising from polymerization-driven spontaneous assembly
Abstract
A central challenge for conjugated polymers is to achieve long-range order while remaining solution processable, which is essential for matching the electrical performance of their counterparts of crystalline inorganic semiconductors. In this work, we show that n-doped poly(benzodifurandione) (n-PBDF) can undergo polymerization-driven spontaneous assembly (PSA), in which chain growth, chemical doping, and structural ordering are intrinsically coupled, yielding long-range chain extension over hundreds of nanometers. We reveal that the spontaneously formed n-PBDF nanoribbons arise from a self-initiated, convergent growth mechanism driven by cooperative monomer-polymer interactions and stabilized by proton-coupled duplex chains and the polymer’s intrinsic polyelectrolyte character. With long-range extended chains in the nanoribbons, the aligned n-PBDF thin films demonstrate metallic-level conductivity (>10 4 siemens per centimeter).
Article Details
Journal Info
Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Authors (20)
Min Chen
Dongyang Wang
Ye Zou
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Changsheng Chen
Xixian Yang
School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
Lixin Niu
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Guan Sheng
Department of Applied Physics, Research Center for Organic Electronics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong, China.
Jin Wang
Lucas Q. Flagg
Materials Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA.
Lee J. Richter
Materials Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA.
Bethany A. Phillips
James Tarpo Jr. and Margaret Tarpo Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
Bufan Xiao
James Tarpo Jr. and Margaret Tarpo Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
Guangchao Liu
Liyan You
James Tarpo Jr. and Margaret Tarpo Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
Julia Laskin
James Tarpo Jr. and Margaret Tarpo Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
Dean M. DeLongchamp
Materials Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA.
Kejie Zhao
School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
Ye Zhu
Chong-an Di
Jianguo Mei
James Tarpo Jr. and Margaret Tarpo Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.