Organic semiconductor formulation

Abstract

This invention relates to an organic semiconductor formulation comprising one or more surfactants and to its use in electrically conducting, photoconducting and semiconducting components and devices.

Description

Claims

1. A formulation comprising an organic semiconducting compound, a surface-active compound (surfactant) and a non-polar or non-alcoholic organic solvents.

2. A formulation according to claim 1, which is a homogeneous solution.

3. A formulation according to claim 1, wherein the surface-active compound is a surfactant that is monomeric or a small-molecule compound.

4. A formulation according to claim 1, wherein the surfactant is a hydrophobic surfactant containing a head group capable of forming a covalent bond or a stable adsorption product with an active substrate, and a tail group which is a alkyl, fluoroalkyl or siloxane group.

5. A formulation according to claim 1, wherein the surfactant comprises a hydrocarbon, fluorocarbon, siloxane or silane group.

6. A formulation according to claim 1, wherein the surfactant is a silane or silazane.

7. A formulation according to claim 1, wherein the surfactant is HMDS (1,1,1,3,3,3-Hexamethyldisilazane), OTS (octyl trichlorosilane), ODTS (octadecyl trichloro silane), a fluorocarbon silane, 1H-, 1H-, 2H-, 2H-perfluorooctyldimethylsilane, or an optionally substituted trichlorosilane.

8. A formulation according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of the surfactant is 10−5 to 5 wt. %.

9. A formulation according to claim 1, wherein the organic semiconducting compound is a p-type organic semiconductor.

10. A formulation according to claim 1, wherein the organic semiconducting compound is a polymer with a conjugated pi-system.

11. A formulation according to claim 1, wherein the organic semiconducting compound is polyphenylenevinylene (PPV), polyarylenevinylene (PAV), polyparaphenylene (PPP), polypyridine (PPy), polypyridinevinylene (PPyV), polythiophene (PT), polyalkylthiophene (PAT), polyfluorene (PF), polyspirobifluorene (PSF), polypyrrole, polyvinylcarbazole, polytriarylamine, polyacetylene, polyphenylene sulfide, polythienylene vinylene, polyisothianaphthene, polyazulene, polyfuran, polyaniline, polyselenophene, polyindenofluorene, all of which are substituted or unsubstituted, or a mixture, blend, statistical or defined copolymer or block copolymer thereof.

12. A formulation according to claim 1, wherein the organic semiconducting compound is a polymer or copolymer comprising one or more units of optionally substituted thiophene, optionally substituted selenophene, 3-alkylthiophene, optionally substituted [3,2b]-thienothiophene, optionally substituted [2,3b]-thienothiophene or optionally substituted dithienotiophene.

13. A formulation according to claim 1, wherein the organic semiconducting compound is of the following formula

14. A formulation according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of the organic semiconducting compound is 0.1 to 10%.

15. A formulation according to claim 1, wherein the solvent has a polar contribution to the Hansen solubility parameter of <6 Mpa1/2.

16. A formulation according to claim 1, wherein the organic solvent is a non-alcoholic aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon, or a halogenated aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon.

17. A formulation according to claim 1, wherein the organic solvent is xylene, toluene, benzene, tetralin, indane, xylene, dichlorobenzene, chloroform, dichloromethane, cyclohexane, anisole, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), cyclohexanone, dioxane, tetrahydrofuran (THF), γ-butyrolactone or a mixture thereof.

18. An organic semiconductor layer obtainable by providing a formulation according to claim 1 onto a substrate and optionally removing the solvent.

19. A semiconducting, electrically conducting, photoconducting or light-emitting material in an optical, electrooptical or electronic component or device, organic field effect transistor (OFET), integrated circuitry (IC), thin film transistor (TFT), flat panel display, radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, electroluminescent or photoluminescent device or component, organic light emitting diode (OLED), backlight of a display, organic photovoltaic device (OPVs), sensor device, charge injection layer, Schottky diode, planarising layer, antistatic film, conducting substrate or pattern, electrode material in a battery, photoconductor, electrophotographic application, electrophotographic recording, organic memory device, alignment layer, cosmetic or pharmaceutical composition or a detecting or discriminating DNA sequence comprising a formulation according to claim 1.

20. A semiconducting, electrically conducting, photoconducting or light-emitting component or device, comprising a formulation according to claim 1, or a layer obtainable by providing said formulation onto a substrate.

21. An IC, OFET, TFT, OPV, RFID tag or OLED comprising a formulation according to claim 1, or a layer obtainable by providing said formulation onto a substrate.

22. A security marking or device comprising an OFET or RFID tag according to claim 21.

23. A method of preparing a formulation according to claim 1, comprising mixing an organic semiconducting compound, a surface-active compound and a non-polar or non-alcoholic organic solvent.

24. A formulation according to claim 4, wherein the head group is a chlorosilane, silazane or a thiol group.