New polymer design unlocks 2D charge flow, paving way for faster semiconductors
Researchers have discovered that ultra-thin polymer layers confine electrical current to a single molecular strand, dramatically simplifying charge transport and opening a path to more efficient electronics. The finding establishes a quantifiable link between molecular structure and device performance—a breakthrough that could accelerate development of flexible, low-power semiconductors for wearables and IoT devices.
Originaltitel: Two-dimensional charge transport in molecularly ordered polymer field-effect transistors
<p>Nanometer-thick Langmuir-Schafer monolayers of an electron transporting polymer display charge transport, optical and electro-optical properties that do not depend on the number of layers deposited one above the other. This phenomenon can be rationalized with the micro-structure of the specific multi-layers, which introduces an interlayer hopping penalty confining transport to a neat 2D regime, with a channel not extending beyond a single similar to 3 nm thick polymer strand, as confirmed by kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. Such findings are critical to establish a quantitative structure-property nexus in high mobility polymer semiconductors and in the control of charge transport at a molecular scale.</p>