Polymer semiconductors are promising materials to realize ultra-flexible and stretchable organic electronics. This is due to the range of mechanical properties that can be tuned through molecular design and thin film morphology. In this talk, we will consider the mechanical behavior of polymer films for organic transistor and solar cell applications with a focus on ductility, stiffness, and toughness. A simple way to probe ductility of polymer thin films is by stretching while on an elastomer substrate and determining the crack onset strain. Here, we show that the simple crack onset strain measurements correlate well with cohesive fracture energy for a broad range of polymer semiconductors, with important implications for the stability of flexible organic electronic devices. In addition, we consider the use of polymer blends to manage the mechanical behavior of the thin films to realize physically robust organic thin film transistors and organic solar cells. Finally, we show that ductile polymer semiconductor blends can be integrated into stretchable transistors, and we explore how deformation of the polymers impacts charge transport characteristics.

Stretching polymer semiconductors to probe mechanical properties and the role of polymer deformation on stretchable device behavior

256th National Meeting (2018)

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