Utilization of a Non-Ionic Surfactant in the Fabrication of Water-Borne Polymeric Semiconductor Nanoparticles for High-Performance, Green Organic Electronics

We report a novel method for synthesizing water-borne nanoparticles of semiconducting polymers for use in environmentally benign processes involving organic electronics, without compromising the high charge carrier mobility of the polymeric semiconductors. Non-ionic surfactants were utilized as a key material to fabricate aqueous nanoparticles of semiconducting polymers via a miniemulsion process for the first time. To maximize the charge transport between polymer nanoparticles, the surface adsorption density and polarity of the non-ionic surfactant were carefully controlled. By introducing such non-ionic surfactants onto a donor-acceptor type polymeric semiconductor with an inherently high charge carrier mobility, we could realize a high-mobility (>0.5 cm²/Vs) water-borne polymer field effect transistor. Structural analyses based on X-ray diffraction showed that films consisting of polymer nanoparticles still maintained some degree of edge-on crystalline orientation, which was enough to render high charge carrier mobility.