Nanowire Crystals of a Rigid Rod Conjugated Polymer

In this paper, we show that well-defined, highly crystalline nanowires of a rigid rod conjugated polymer, a poly(para-phenylene ethynylene)s derivative with thioacetate end groups (TA-PPE), can be obtained by self-assembling from a dilute solution. Structural analyses demonstrate the nanowires with an orthorhombic crystal unit cell wherein the lattice parameters are a approximate to 13.63 angstrom, b approximate to 7.62 angstrom, and c approximate to 5.12 angstrom; in the nanowires the backbones of TA-PPE chains are parallel to the nanowire long axis with their side chains standing on the substrate. The transport properties of the nanowires examined by organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) suggest the highest charge carrier mobility approaches 0.1 cm(2)/(V s) with an average value at similar to 10(-2) cm(2)/(V s), which is 3-4 orders higher than that of thin film transistors made by the same polymer, indicating the high performance of the one-dimensional polymer nanowire crystals. These results are particular intriguing and valuable for both examining the intrinsic properties of PIPES polymer semiconductors and advancing their potential applications in electronic devices.