Exploring Wide‐Range Alkyl Bridge Length Variations in Polymer Semiconductors: From Pristine to Blend Films for High‐Mobility Stretchable TFTs

The development of intrinsically stretchable thin-film transistors (TFTs) with high mobility is essential for next-generation deformable electronics, including wearable displays and bio-integrated systems. However, most approaches to improve stretchability in polymer semiconductors compromise charge transport due to disrupted molecular ordering. Here, we report a systematic exploration of wide-range of alkyl bridge length variations of donor-acceptor-type conjugated polymers to control crystallinity and morphology without altering the polymer backbone. We also propose a method to quantify the relative degree of crystallinity, enabling comparison across different polymer systems. When blended with an elastomer and aligned via solution shearing, the optimized polymer exhibited a maximum mobility of 6.4 cm<sup>2</sup> V<sup>-1</sup> s<sup>-1</sup> at 0% strain (V<sub>DS</sub> = -40 V). The polymer stretchable device maintained measurable mobility (0.6 cm<sup>2</sup> V<sup>-1</sup> s<sup>-1</sup>) at 100% strain under the perpendicular to the channel direction under a low V<sub>DS</sub> of -10 V. Furthermore, wafer-scale photopatterning enabled fabrication of a 38-device intrinsically stretchable TFT array with high uniformity and an average mobility of 5.5 cm<sup>2</sup> V<sup>-1</sup> s<sup>-1</sup> at 0% strain. This work establishes a molecular design framework that elucidates the link between structure, mechanical resilience, and electrical performance, offering generalizable principles and a scalable platform for high-performance deformable electronics.

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Small
Published
2026-01-12
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202511011
Primary Topic
Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Exploring Wide‐Range Alkyl Bridge Length Variations in Polymer Semiconductors: From Pristine to Blend Films for High‐Mobility Stretchable TFTs

EunA Kim, Sung‐Gyu Kang, Joo‐Young Kim, Yasutaka Kuzumoto et al.
Small
Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
article

Exploring Wide‐Range Alkyl Bridge Length Variations in Polymer Semiconductors: From Pristine to Blend Films for High‐Mobility Stretchable TFTs

EunA Kim, Sung‐Gyu Kang, Joo‐Young Kim, Yasutaka Kuzumoto, Seon‐Jeong Lim, Jaebong Jung, B. H. Lee, Jisoo Shin, Ajeong Choi, Youngjun Yun, Younhee Lim, Hyunbum Kang, Sangah Gam, Gae Hwang Lee, Kyunghun Kim, Hyungjun Kim
article en

Abstract

The development of intrinsically stretchable thin-film transistors (TFTs) with high mobility is essential for next-generation deformable electronics, including wearable displays and bio-integrated systems. However, most approaches to improve stretchability in polymer semiconductors compromise charge transport due to disrupted molecular ordering. Here, we report a systematic exploration of wide-range of alkyl bridge length variations of donor-acceptor-type conjugated polymers to control crystallinity and morphology without altering the polymer backbone. We also propose a method to quantify the relative degree of crystallinity, enabling comparison across different polymer systems. When blended with an elastomer and aligned via solution shearing, the optimized polymer exhibited a maximum mobility of 6.4 cm<sup>2</sup> V<sup>-1</sup> s<sup>-1</sup> at 0% strain (V<sub>DS</sub> = -40 V). The polymer stretchable device maintained measurable mobility (0.6 cm<sup>2</sup> V<sup>-1</sup> s<sup>-1</sup>) at 100% strain under the perpendicular to the channel direction under a low V<sub>DS</sub> of -10 V. Furthermore, wafer-scale photopatterning enabled fabrication of a 38-device intrinsically stretchable TFT array with high uniformity and an average mobility of 5.5 cm<sup>2</sup> V<sup>-1</sup> s<sup>-1</sup> at 0% strain. This work establishes a molecular design framework that elucidates the link between structure, mechanical resilience, and electrical performance, offering generalizable principles and a scalable platform for high-performance deformable electronics.

SmallVol. 22(13)
Hallym University (KR), Samsung (South Korea) (KR), University of Ulsan (KR)
National Research Foundation, Korea Basic Science Institute, National Research Foundation of Korea, Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea
Openalex Percentile: Top 91%
Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
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