Similar to car brakes, a molecular brake exists that prevents semiconductor chains from slipping, allowing for the development of novel devices.
As of late, a joint examination group led by Teacher Kilwon Cho and Ph.D. up-and-comers Seung Hyun Kim and Sein Chung from the Branch of Substance Designing at POSTECH and Teacher Boseok Kang from the Division of Nano Designing at Sungkyunkwan College (SKKU) has fostered an innovation for elite execution of natural polymer semiconductors that show both stretchability and electrical usefulness. This study was distributed in the journal Progressed Practical Materials.
Rather than rigid materials, stretchable semiconductors must be used in a variety of flexible devices, like skin-attachable medical devices and flexible displays.
Nonetheless, the power applied during the extending of semiconductors can be multiple times greater than that accomplished during straightforward twisting, prompting the breakdown of the semiconductor layers and a decrease in their electrical execution. Scientists have been tenaciously investigating techniques to safeguard semiconductor execution significantly under distortion, yet a conclusive answer to this challenge remains tricky.
An effective molecular photocrosslinker with azide-reactive groups at both ends was developed by the research team. When presented to bright light, this photocrosslinker structures an organization structure with the polymer semiconductor, acting as a brake that prevents slipping significantly under extended conditions.
The presence of this “brake” enables the polymer chains to maintain their stretchability and performance without any slipping, in contrast to conventional semiconductor materials, where polymer chains become intertwined and irreversibly slip and fracture when stretched.
The research team was able to successfully maintain up to 96% of the polymer semiconductor’s electrical performance even when it was stretched to 80% using this strategy. In addition, the semiconductor had significantly better stretchability and durability than conventional semiconductors, indicating the technology’s effectiveness.
“We have successfully preserved the excellent electrical properties of polymer semiconductors for organic thin-film transistors even under significant mechanical deformation by incorporating azide photocrosslinkers into the films,” Professor Kilwon Cho explained. This basic methodology fundamentally improves the stretchability and UV-patternability of natural semiconducting polymers, making it profoundly important for ventures requiring enormous region creation and photolithography for the advancement of cutting-edge adaptable gadgets.”
More information: Seung Hyun Kim et al, Designing a Length‐Modulated Azide Photocrosslinker to Improve the Stretchability of Semiconducting Polymers (Adv. Funct. Mater. 23/2023), Advanced Functional Materials (2023). DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202370142
