Zone-Annealing-Assisted Solvent-Free Processing of Complementary Semiconducting Polymer Blends for Organic Field-Effect Transistors

Semiconducting polymer thin films, which are usually formed by solution-casting from their organic solutions, are critical in the development of flexible and printed electronics. To seek out a method that can further improve the electrical properties of semiconducting polymers and also be industrially applicable is of vital significance. In this study, the impact of zone annealing on the charge-transport properties of diketopyrrolopyrrole-based complementary semiconducting polymer blends in field-effect transistor devices is investigated. An average mobility increased from 0.66 to 0.87 cm(2) V-1 s(-1), with a highest of 1.6 cm(2) V-1 s(-1), is observed. It is also demonstrated that zone annealing can be integrated with melt processing to realize a solvent-free process for polymer thin films for organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and achieve improved charge transport characteristics with a record mobility of 0.54 cm(2) V-1 s(-1) among melt-processed OFETs. This work provides an alternative, green, and sustainable processing method to advance polymer-based organic electronics.