Morphology control strategies for solution-processed organic semiconductor thin films

Abstract

While the chemical structure of organic semiconductors has an obvious effect on their proclivity for charge transport, the ways with which they are processed have a dramatic effect on the performance of plastic electronics devices incorporating them. In some cases, morphological defects and misalignment of crystalline grains can completely obscure the materials' intrinsic charge transport properties. Although some deposition methods, especially vapor-phase ones, can produce single crystals and thus avoid some of these problems, it is desirable to gain a fundamental understanding of how to improve charge transport when using solution-phase deposition techniques. In this review, we present both a survey of solution-based processing techniques for plastic electronics relevant on both the commercial and research scale and a set of strategies to control thin film morphology towards enhancing their electronic transport properties. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2014.