Synthesis, Characterization, and Field-Effect Transistor Performance of Poly[2,6-bis(3-tridecanoxythiophen-2-yl)benzo[1,2-b;4,5-b′]dithiophene]

A new copolymer of benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene and 3,3'-bis(tridecanoxy)-5,5'-bithiophene was synthesized through Stille copolymerization. The bis-(3-alkoxythiophene) monomer was synthesized through a silver fluoride mediated, palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling, in which bromide functional groups were preserved instead of consumed. The copolymer has been characterized and applied in field-effect transistors, giving a hole mobility of 2 x 10 (3) cm(2)/Vs and an on/off ratio >10(6), with negligible hysteresis, on standard silicon substrates. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1973-1978, 2010