Diazaisoindigo-Based Polymers with High-Performance Charge-Transport Properties: From Computational Screening to Experimental Characterization

One of the major challenges confronting organic electronics is the development of high-mobility semiconducting materials, especially n-channel and ambipolar semiconductors. Solution-processable semiconducting polymers have attracted much attention because of their tunable properties and their suitability for the fabrication of large-scale devices. Aza substitution has proven effective in electron-transport small-molecule semiconductors; however, high-performance polymeric semiconductors prepared by aza substitution are still lacking. We started with a computational screening procedure to introduce nitrogen atoms into isoindigo-based polymers and then proceeded with the synthesis and fabrication of field-effect transistors. The resulting 7,7'-diazaisoindigo-based polymers exhibit extensive pi conjugation and high crystallinity with hole mobilities exceeding 7 cm(2) V-1 s(-1) with bottom-gate/bottom-contact configuration and ambipolar transport properties with top-gate/bottom-contact configuration in air. These properties make diazaisoindigo a promising building block for polymeric semiconductors.