As we continue to rely increasingly on consumer electronics, there is a growing need to render these products transient. Fully degradable electronics have shown remarkable promise for use in health applications as well as eco-friendly consumer products that are not detrimental to the environment. Additionally, devices that are biodegradable, or that can break down under biologically benign conditions, open avenues for use in implantable electronics. Polymeric materials are well suited for fabricating electronics with such functionalities due to their scalability and ability to be rationally tuned by synthetic design. Previously, our group has designed one of the first fully degradable conjugated polymers based on the seminal use of imine bonds. However, due to the inability to easily fine tune the morphology through backbone and sidechain engineering, the resulting charge carrier mobility of the semiconductor does not meet standards required of use in electronics, necessitating a system with both synthetic modularity and improved electrical performance. Herein, we utilize a modular approach for the rapid preparation of degradable imine-based polymer semiconductors that allows for facile tuning of the molecular architecture, leading to degradable semiconductors with improved charge carrier properties and the first demonstration of a fully degradable n-type semiconductor. We show characterization by grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) as well as the electronic performance of these polymer semiconductors in field effect transistors. UV-Vis spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) are used to probe the degradation behavior of these conjugated polymers. This new modular synthesis of fully degradable polymer semiconductors is crucial toward advancing the field of skin-inspired electronics and addressing unmet challenges in health and the environment.

Modular design and degradation behavior of fully transient imine-based polymer semiconductors

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.