High-performance flexible circularly polarized light photodetectors based on chiral n-type naphthalenediimide-bithiophene polymers
Chiral π-conjugated polymers are key for advancing flexible circularly polarized light (CPL) photodetectors due to their mechanical flexibility, high sensitivity, and compatibility with large-scale fabrication. However, achieving strong CPL detection and efficient charge transport in flexible chiral photodetectors remains challenging. Here, we present a novel n-type chiral π-conjugated polymer (S/R)-P(NDI2MH-T2) for high-performance flexible CPL photodetectors. The polymer exhibits enhanced chiroptical activity after annealing, with significant improvement in |gabs| at 382 nm (2.34 × 10−2) and at 670 nm (1.38 × 10−2), which is attributed to improved polymer chain stacking and exciton coupling, as confirmed by molecular dynamics simulations. The phototransistors show high electron mobility (7.9 × 10−2 cm2 V−1 s−1), photoresponsivity (92 A W−1), and detectivity (1.1 × 1012 Jones). A flexible CPL photodetector fabricated with polydimethylsiloxane and polyethylene naphthalate substrates demonstrates reliable CPL detection with |gph| of 0.043. This work highlights the potential of chiral π-conjugated polymers for efficient flexible CPL photodetectors.
Authors
- Gang Chang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9577-2171)
- Seoyoung Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-4799-547X)
- Joon Hak Oh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0481-6069)
- Xichong Ye (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2166-0492)
- Le Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6344-3528)
- Guankui Long (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1826-3736)
- Ke Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1296-9471)
- Xiaobo Shang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8032-6486)
- Jaeyong Ahn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0036-0300)
- Mingming Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3156-7811)
- Zhenping Li
- Zhiwei Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4476-8359)
- Wenkai Zhao
- Huagui Zhuo
- Wei Ma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2527-5286)
- Pengpeng Wang
Institutions
- Seoul National University (KR)
- Nankai University (CN)
- Xi'an Jiaotong University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Flexible Electronics
- Published
- 2025-08-08
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-025-00443-2
- Citations
- 6
- Primary Topic
- Synthesis and Properties of Aromatic Compounds
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 5.62
Funders
- National Research Foundation
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Seoul National University
- National Research Foundation of Korea
- Ministry of Education, India
- Zhejiang University
- Natural Science Basic Research Program of Shaanxi Province
- Institute of Engineering Research, Seoul National University