Asymmetric B←N Functionalized Benzothiadiazoles for High‐Performance n‐Type Semiconducting Polymers
B←N containing polymers have emerged in organic electronics due to their fascinating optical and electronic properties. Despite these advantages, the development of B←N-based n-type polymers for high-performance organic transistors remains a significant challenge, primarily due to the scarcity of effective B←N containing acceptor units. In this work, we address this challenge through the rational design and synthesis of two asymmetric half-fused B←N functionalized benzothiadiazole derivatives, BTBN and FBTBN. These compounds leverage the unique electronic properties of the B←N motif, enabling the development of two new n-type polymers, PBTBN and PFBTBN. Notably, the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) levels of PBTBN and PFBTBN are significantly lowered by 0.2-0.3 eV compared to their counterparts without B←N functionalization, with PFBTBN achieving a LUMO of ∼ -4.0 eV. Importantly, PFBTBN exhibits exceptional unipolar n-type transistor performance with a high electron mobility (µ<sub>e</sub>) of 3.85 cm<sup>2</sup> V<sup>-1</sup> s<sup>-1</sup>. The asymmetric half-fused B←N molecular backbone not only stabilizes the electronic structure but also induces a near-amorphous morphology, thereby enabling PFBTBN-based flexible transistors to retain a high µ<sub>e</sub> of 3.16 cm<sup>2</sup> V<sup>-1</sup> s<sup>-1</sup> even after 1000 bending cycles. This work demonstrates the transformative potential of incorporating asymmetric B←N functionalized acceptors for high-performance n-type semiconducting polymers.
Authors
- Zhen Jiang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6025-0333)
- Ziyi Ge (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3656-6017)
- Zhiwei Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0378-2744)
- Wei Song (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6674-9589)
- Yang Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0611-3669)
- Yunqi Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5521-2316)
- Dongshen Yan
- K.L. Jiao
- Di Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4810-9889)
Institutions
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Fudan University (CN)
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (CN)
- Institute of Chemistry (CN)
- Ningbo Institute of Industrial Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition
- Published
- 2025-05-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202507528
- Citations
- 5
- Primary Topic
- Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.65
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Shanghai Rising-Star Program
- National Key Research and Development Program of China