Highly Crystalline 2,6,9,10-Tetrakis((4-hexylphenyl)ethynyl)anthracene for Efficient Solution-Processed Field-effect Transistors

Abstract

A new anthracene-containing conjugated molecule was synthesized through the Sonogashira coupling and reduction reactions. 1-Ethynyl-4-hexylbenzene was coupled to 2,6-bis((4-hexylphenyl) ethynyl)anthracene-9,10-dione through a reduction reaction to generate 2,6,9,10-tetrakis((4-hexylphenyl)ethynyl) anthracene. The semiconducting properties were evaluated in an organic thin film transistor (OTFT) and a single-crystal field-effect transistor (SC-FET). The OTFT showed a mobility of around 0.13 cm(2) V-1 s(-1) (I-ON/I-OFF> 10(6)), whereas the (SC-FET) showed a mobility of 1.00-1.35 cm(2) V-1 s(-1), which is much higher than that of the OTFT. Owing to the high photoluminescence quantum yield of 2,6,9,10-tetrakis((4-hexylphenyl)ethynyl) anthracene, we could observe a significant increase in drain current under irradiation with visible light (lambda = 538 nm, 12.5 mu W/cm(2)).