Crystallization Control of N,N′-Dioctyl Perylene Diimide by Amphiphilic Block Copolymers Containing poly(3-Hexylthiophene) and Polyethylene Glycol

• Main Authors: Xiaohui Yang, Wanlong Lu, Jingning Cao, Chenyang Zhai, Weili Li, Fangwen Zha, Guanghao Lu, Hongkun Tian, Demei Yu, Laju Bu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-06-01
• Series: Frontiers in Chemistry
• Subjects: crystallization modifiers; amphiphilic block copolymers; sonocrystallization; hydrosol; N,N′-dioctyl perylene diimide
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2021.699387/full

The preparation of micron- to nanometer-sized functional materials with well-defined shapes and packing is a key process to their applications. There are many ways to control the crystal growth of organic semiconductors. Adding polymer additives has been proven a robust strategy to optimize semiconductor crystal structure and the corresponding optoelectronic properties. We have found that poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) can effectively regulate the crystallization behavior of N,N′-dioctyl perylene diimide (C8PDI). In this study, we combined P3HT and polyethylene glycol (PEG) to amphiphilic block copolymers and studied the crystallization modification effect of these block copolymers. It is found that the crystallization modification effect of the block copolymers is retained and gradually enhanced with P3HT content. The length of C8PDI crystals were well controlled from 2 to 0.4 μm, and the width from 210 to 35 nm. On the other hand, due to the water solubility of PEG block, crystalline PEG-b-P3HT/C8PDI micelles in water were successfully prepared, and this water phase colloid could be stable for more than 2 weeks, which provides a new way to prepare pollution-free aqueous organic semiconductor inks for printing electronic devices.