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The local, nanoscale organization of crystallites in conjugated polymers is often critical to determining the charge transport properties of the system. Block copolymer geometries, which offer controlled nanostructures with tethering of chains at interfaces, are an ideal platform to study the local organization of conjugated polymer crystallites. The model conjugated polymer poly(3-(2'-ethyl)hexylthiophene) (P3EHT) features a depressed melting temperature relative to the widely studied poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), which allows it to robustly form microphase-separated domains that confine the subsequent P3EHT crystallites. Importantly, P3EHT crystallization in confinement is coupled to a rubbery second block via interfacial tethering, mechanical properties, and chain stretching. Here, the impact of thermal processing on the diblock copolymer structure is examined to elucidate the key driving forces controlling the final coupled diblock copolymer and crystalline structures. Surprisingly, the diblock copolymer domain size is significantly impacted by the temperature at which the conjugated domain is crystallized. Decreasing amounts of domain extension are observed with increasing crystallization temperatures. This temperature-dependent domain structure appears to be correlated with the crystallization processes; these processes are inferred from precise changes in the lamellar structure across melting. By carefully tracking the changes in domain structure across melting, this work identifies three distinct regimes. We suggest a structural model of the conjugated block melting processes consisting of (I) excluded-chain relaxation, followed by (II) chain interdigitation during melt-recrystallization, and finally (III) complete melting that is independent of the initial crystallization conditions. These results suggest that P3EHT crystallization processes associated with temperature-dependent chain diffusion and nucleation are primarily responsible for the unexpected temperature-dependent crystallization behavior. They also emphasize that less perfect conjugated polymer crystals may actually be associated with a poorly interdigitated structure. Furthermore, this work demonstrates the utility of leveraging a diblock copolymer structure with a rubbery second block in order to precisely track changes in the crystallite structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlling crystallinity and molecular packing at nano- and macroscopic length scales in conjugated polymer thin films is vital for improving the performance of polymer-based electronic devices. Herein, the inherent amphiphilicity of rigid donor-acceptor copolymers used in high performance polymer electronics is leveraged to allow the formation of highly ordered lyotropic mesophases. By increasing the length and branching of solubilizing chains on cyclopentadithiophene-alt-thiadiazolopyridine-based alternating copolymers, amphiphilicity can be increased, and lyotropic liquid crystalline mesophases are observed in selective solvents. These lyotropic mesophases consist of chain extended polymers exhibiting close, ordered π-stacking. This is evidenced by birefringent solutions and red-shifted absorbance spectra displaying pronounced excitonic coupling. Crystallinity developed in solution can be transferred to the solid state, and thin films of donor-acceptor copolymers cast from lyotropic solutions exhibit improved crystalline order in both the alkyl and π-stacking directions. Because of this improved crystallinity, transistors with active layers cast from lyotropic solutions exhibit a significant improvement in carrier mobility compared to those cast from isotropic solution, reaching a maximum value of 0.61 cm² V-1 s-1. This approach of rational side chain design bridges the gap from solution structure to solid state structure and is a promising and general approach to allow the expression of lyotropic mesophases in rigid conjugated polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chain shape of polymers affects many aspects of theirbehavior and is governed by their intramolecular interactions. Delocalizationof electrons along the backbone of conjugated polymers has been shownto lead to increased chain rigidity by encouraging a planar conformation.Poly(3-hexylthiophene) and other poly(3-alkylthiophenes) (P3ATs) areinteresting for organic electronics applications, and it is clearthat a hierarchy of structural features in these polymers controlscharge transport. While other conjugated polymers are very rigid,the molecular structure of P3AT allows for two different planar conformationsand a significant degree of torsion at room temperature. It is unclear,however, how their chain shape depends on variables such as side chainchemistry or regioregularity, both of which are key aspects in themolecular design of organic electronics. Small-angle neutron scatteringfrom dilute polymer solutions indicates that the chains adopt a randomcoil geometry with a semiflexible backbone. The measured persistencelength is shorter than the estimated conjugation length due to thetwo planar conformations that preserve conjugation but not backbonecorrelations. The persistence length of regioregular P3HT has beenmeasured to be 3 nm at room temperature and decreases at higher temperatures.Changes in the regioregularity, side chain chemistry, or syntheticdefects decrease the persistence length by 60–70%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]