Plasticizer Enhanced Chain Orientation and Dynamics for Printed Stretchable Conjugated Polymer Films
摘要
The scalable fabrication of stretchable conjugated polymer films via solution printing is essential for their practical application in large-area wearable electronics. However, the printed conjugated polymer films typically exhibit high crystallinity, limiting their mechanical deformability. Herein, we propose a plasticizer-assisted printing strategy to simultaneously enhance the stretchability and electrical performance of films based on the conjugated polymer poly(3-(5-(5-methylselenophen-2-yl)thiophen-2-yl)-6-(5-methylthiophen-2-yl)-2,5-bis(4-octyltetradecyl)-2,5-dihydropyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione) (P(TDPP-Se)). The incorporation of a plasticizer trioctyl trimellitate (TOTM) promotes P(TDPP-Se) aggregation in initial solution, facilitates chain alignment under flow field, and shorten solidification process, thereby restricting randomly polymer crystallization. Consequently, a low-crystallinity film with favorable edge-on orientation, strong chain alignment and improved chain dynamics is realized, which effectively alleviates crystallites fragmentation and crack propagation under large strain. The TOTM-plasticized film exhibits approximately 2-fold improvements in fracture strain and charge mobility, along with superior mobility retention under 100% strain in comparison to the neat film. This study provides a feasible approach for microstructure control in printed stretchable conjugated polymer film.