Polymer-Assisted Single Crystal Engineering of Organic Semiconductors To Alter Electron Transport

摘要

A new crystal phase of a naphthalenediimide derivative (alpha-DPNDI) has been prepared via a facial polymer-assisted method. The stacking pattern of DPNDI can be tailored from the known one-dimensional (1D) ribbon (beta phase) to a novel two-dimensional (2D) plate (alpha phase) through the assistance from polymers. We believe that the presence of polymers during crystal growth is likely to weaken the direct pi-pi interactions and favor side-to-side C-H-pi contacts. Furthermore, beta phase architecture shows electron mobility higher than that of the alpha phase in the single-crystal-based OFET. Theoretical calculations not only confirm that of beta-DPNDI has an electron transport performance better than that the alpha phase but also indicate that the alpha phase crystal displays 2D transport while the beta phase possesses 1D transport. Our results clearly suggest that polymer-assisted crystal engineering should be a promising approach to alter the electronic properties of organic semiconductors.