Poly(3-hexylthiophene) nanotubes with tunable aspect ratios and charge transport properties

Huang, L.-B., Xu, Z.-X., Chen, X., Tian, W., Han, S.-T., Zhou, Y., Xu, J.-J., Yang, X.-B. and Roy, V.A.L. (2014) Poly(3-hexylthiophene) nanotubes with tunable aspect ratios and charge transport properties. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 6(15), pp. 11874-11881. (doi: 10.1021/am5006207) (PMID:25014608)

Abstract

Regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (RR-P3HT) nanotubes (200 nm in diameter) with tunable aspect ratios from 25 to 300 were prepared using a polymer melt wetting technique. Aspect-ratio tunability was achieved by controlling the wetting behavior of RR-P3HT melts in a template. The crystallinity and chain orientation of RR-P3HT were studied by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, and polarized photoluminescence spectroscopy. Results suggest that RR-P3HT chains in the lamellar structure prefer to be perpendicular to the axis of the RR-P3HT nanotubes, forming a face-on conformation in the RR-P3HT nanotubes that leads to increased carrier mobility of RR-P3HT. Field-effect transistors were fabricated based on a single RR-P3HT nanotube and showed a carrier mobility of 0.14 ± 0.02 cm2/V·s.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: We acknowledge grants from the innovation of science and Technology Committee of Shenzhen (JCYJ20120618115445056) and the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Project No.T23-713/11). The authors are grateful to Mr. T. F. Hung for providing technical support.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Vellaisamy, Professor Roy
• Authors: Huang, L.-B., Xu, Z.-X., Chen, X., Tian, W., Han, S.-T., Zhou, Y., Xu, J.-J., Yang, X.-B., and Roy, V.A.L.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering
• Journal Name: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• ISSN: 1944-8244
• ISSN (Online): 1944-8252
• Published Online: 17 July 2014