Pozdin, Vladimir2013-07-232016-09-272011-05-29bibid: 8213950https://hdl.handle.net/1813/33640Organic field-effect transistors are attracting much attention due to possible applications in flexible electronics, but low electronic performance and stability remain challenges to realizing such applications. Nevertheless, molecular semiconductors have already been successfully integrated in commercial products such as organic displays, luminaires, and photovoltaics. While polymeric materials have historically lagged behind, they are currently gaining significant attention due to their ease of processing, which does not require a vacuum deposition system. Polymeric materials present a number of challenges, from designing the structure of the monomer to finding the optimum molecular weight. We present an exhaustive structure-property relationship study of a newly synthesized family of thienoacenes. Based on the results of our study, we suggest C2 symmetry for the repeat unit as a new design criterion to aid in the development of future polymeric semiconductors. In addition, we investigate the thermal stability of our polymers using ex-situ and in-situ X-ray scattering. We identify an irreversible reorganization due to solution processing, as well as a reversible thermal expansion with linear expansion coefficient of 2x10-4 °C-1. By optimizing polymer structure and processing conditions, we have achieved a field-effect hole mobility of 0.3 cm2/Vs and environmental stability exceeding one year. Even though molecular electronics, such as OLEDs with AlQ3, have already been commercialized, the fundamental questions of charge transport and trapping have not been answered for these materials, owing to the high degree of anisotropy in molecular thin films. We report an unexpected reorganization of molecular thin films of pentacene on commonly used SiO2 substrates treated with a self-assembled monolayer under inert conditions. In addition, we investigated the process of solvent annealing of an insoluble molecular semiconductor. The method of solvent annealing is further demonstrated as a feasible process to improve crystallinity in organic films without the adverse effects of thermal annealing.en-USorganic semiconductorsfield-effect transistorsgiwaxsdissertation or thesis