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Changing the World through Creative Research

Highly stretchable, high-mobility, free-standing all-organic transistors modulated by solid-state elastomer electrolytes

Journal
ADV MATER
Date
2019.02.07
Abstract
Organic transistors having a layered structure are susceptible to interfacial problems such as fracture, delamination, and slip, which lead to poor stability of the device under mechanical stress. Here, we demonstrate highly stretchable, high-mobility, and free-standing coplanar-type all-organic transistors based on deformable solid-state elastomer electrolytes using ionic thermoplastic polyurethane (i-TPU), thereby showing high reliability under mechanical stimuli as well as low-voltage operation. Unlike conventional ionic dielectrics, the i-TPU electrolyte prepared herein has remarkable characteristics, i.e., a large specific capacitance of 5.5 μF/cm2, despite the low weight ratio (20 wt%) of the ionic liquid, high transparency, and even stretchability. These i-TPU-based organic transistors exhibit a mobility as high as 16.5 cm2V-1s-1, high bendability (Rc, radius of curvature: 7.2 mm), and good stretchability (60% tensile strain). Moreover, they are suitable for low-voltage operation (VDS = ?1.5 V, VGS = ?2.5 V). In addition, the electrical characteristics such as mobility, on-current, and threshold voltage are maintained even in the concave and convex bending state (bending tensile strain of ~3.4%), respectively. Finally, we could fabricate free-standing, fully stretchable, and semi-transparent coplanar-type all-organic transistors by introducing a PEDOT:PSS layer as source/drain and gate electrodes, thus achieving low-voltage operation (VDS = ? 1.5 V, VGS = ? 2.5 V) and an even higher mobility of up to 17.8 cm2V-1s-1. Moreover, these devices withstand stretching up to 80% tensile strain. We believe that our i-TPU-based device design will provide a rational guide to flexible and stretchable electronics.
Reference
Adv. Funct. Mater. 2019, 1808909
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201808909