Upper and Apparent Lower Critical Solution Temperature Branches in the Phase Diagram of Polymer:Small Molecule Semiconducting Systems

Solution-processable semiconducting materials are complex materials with a wide range of applications. Despite their extensive study and utility, their molecular interactions as manifested, for example, in phase behavior are poorly understood. Here, we aim to understand the phase behavior of conjugated systems by determining phase diagrams spanning extensive temperature ranges for various combinations of the highly disordered semiconducting polymer (PTB7-Th) with crystallizable (IT-M and PC61BM) and noncrystallizable (di-PDI) small molecule acceptors (SMAs), with polystyrene as an amorphous control, a nonsemiconducting commodity polymer. We discover that the apparent binodal of the studied blends frequently consists of an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) and lower critical solution temperature (LCST) branch, exhibiting a sharp kink where the branches join. Our work suggests that phase diagrams might be a probe in combination with sophisticated models to understand the complexity of semiconducting materials, including microstructure and molecular interactions.

Automated summary

Research has found that phase diagrams of studied blends often consist of upper critical solution temperature (UCST) and lower critical solution temperature (LCST) branches, with a sharp kink where the branches join. Phase diagrams could be a probe, along with sophisticated models, to understand the complexity of semiconducting materials.