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  • Uniform electroactive fibre...
    Li, Xiaoyu; Wolanin, Piotr J; MacFarlane, Liam R; Harniman, Robert L; Qian, Jieshu; Gould, Oliver E C; Dane, Thomas G; Rudin, John; Cryan, Martin J; Schmaltz, Thomas; Frauenrath, Holger; Winnik, Mitchell A; Faul, Charl F J; Manners, Ian

    Nature communications, 06/2017, Volume: 8, Issue: 1
    Journal Article

    Micelles formed by the self-assembly of block copolymers in selective solvents have attracted widespread attention and have uses in a wide variety of fields, whereas applications based on their electronic properties are virtually unexplored. Herein we describe studies of solution-processable, low-dispersity, electroactive fibre-like micelles of controlled length from π-conjugated diblock copolymers containing a crystalline regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) core and a solubilizing, amorphous regiosymmetric poly(3-hexylthiophene) or polystyrene corona. Tunnelling atomic force microscopy measurements demonstrate that the individual fibres exhibit appreciable conductivity. The fibres were subsequently incorporated as the active layer in field-effect transistors. The resulting charge carrier mobility strongly depends on both the degree of polymerization of the core-forming block and the fibre length, and is independent of corona composition. The use of uniform, colloidally stable electroactive fibre-like micelles based on common π-conjugated block copolymers highlights their significant potential to provide fundamental insight into charge carrier processes in devices, and to enable future electronic applications.