Topology-Mediated Molecule Nucleation Anchoring Enables Inkjet Printing of Organic Semiconducting Single Crystals for High-Performance Printed Electronics
Xiaobin Ren, Fengquan Qiu, Wei Deng, Xiaochen Fang, Y. H. Wu, Shengyu Yu, Xinyue Liu, Souren Grigorian, Jialin Shi, Jiansheng Jie, Xiaohong Zhang, Xiujuan Zhang, Xiujuan Zhang, Xiujuan Zhang
Abstract
Printable organic semiconducting single crystals (OSSCs) offer tantalizing opportunities for next-generation wearable electronics, but their development has been plagued by a long-standing yet inherent problem─spatially uncontrolled and stochastic nucleation events─which usually causes the formation of polycrystalline films and hence limited performance. Here, we report a convenient approach to precisely manipulate the elusive molecule nucleation process for high-throughput inkjet printing of OSSCs with record-high mobility. By engineering curvature of the contact line with a teardrop-shaped micropattern, molecule nucleation is elegantly anchored at the vertex of the topological structure, enabling formation of a single nucleus for the subsequent growth of OSSCs. Using this approach, we achieve patterned growth of 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2- b ][1]benzothiophene single crystals, yielding a breakthrough for an organic field-effect transistor array with a high average mobility of 12.5 cm 2 V –1 s –1 . These findings not only provide keen insights into controlling molecule nucleation kinetics but also offer opportunities for high-performance printed electronics.