Advancing Green Stretchable Electronics with Solvent-Free Melt-Processed Semiconducting Blends

The development of solvent-free processing routes is essential for advancing sustainable manufacturing in soft electronics. Here, we introduce a melt-processable strategy for fabricating stretchable OFETs based on the physical blending of a low-melting point diketopyrrolopyrrole-based polymer and SEBS. Blends prepared across a wide compositional range were characterized to compare solvent-processed and melt-processed films. Materials characterization in the solid state revealed predominantly amorphous morphologies with composition-dependent differences in nanoscale organization. Free-standing tensile testing demonstrated a systematic decrease in Young’s modulus with increasing SEBS content, confirming enhanced flexibility. Rheological measurements further showed pronounced shear-thinning behavior at high SEBS loadings, advantageous for extrusion-based fabrication and compatible with both melt processing and traditional solution-based methods. Notably, organic field-effect transistors fabricated from melt-processed films exhibited charge carrier mobilities comparable to, and in some cases exceeding, those from solvent-processed blends, with stable performance maintained across diverse compositions. Overall, this work presents a sustainable, solvent-free approach to producing stretchable semiconducting films with tunable mechanical properties and robust electronic performance, offering a versatile platform for soft and stretchable electronic devices.