Air-Stable n-Type Organic Field-Effect Transistors Based on Carbonyl-Bridged Bithiazole Derivatives

An electronegative conjugated compound composed of a newly designed carbonyl-bridged bithiazole unit and trifluoroacetyl terminal groups is synthesized as a candidate for air-stable n-type organic field-effect transistor (OFET) materials. Cyclic voltammetry measurements reveal that carbonyl-bridging contributes both to lowering the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy level and to stabilizing the anionic species. X-ray crystallographic analysis of the compound shows a planar molecular geometry and a dense molecular packing, which is advantageous to electron transport. Through these appropriate electrochemical properties and structures for n-type semiconductor materials, OFET devices based on this compound show electron mobilities as high as 0.06 cm(2) V-1 with on/off ratios of 106 and threshold voltages of 20V under vacuum conditions. Furthermore, these devices show the same order of electron mobility under ambient conditions.