Advances in materials design for plastic transistors

This paper presents studies on the materials design for low-cost plastic transistors. One promising class of semiconductor polymers for low-cost transistors is poly(3,3´´´-dialkyl-quaterthiophene)s, (PQTs). PQT is designed based on the following structural considerations: (i) appropriately long alkyl side-chains for solution processability; (ii) structural regularity for molecular self-assembly; and (iii) controlled π-conjugation to achieve a delicate balance between transistor functionality and oxidative doping stability.