Atomically-thin molecular layers for electrode modification of organic transistors.

Atomically-thin molecular layers of aryl-functionalized graphene oxides (GOs) were used to modify the surface characteristics of source-drain electrodes to improve the performances of organic field-effect transistor (OFET) devices. The GOs were functionalized with various aryl diazonium salts, including 4-nitroaniline, 4-fluoroaniline, or 4-methoxyaniline, to produce several types of GOs with different surface functional groups (NO2-Ph-GO, F-Ph-GO, or CH3O-Ph-GO, respectively). The deposition of aryl-functionalized GOs or their reduced derivatives onto metal electrode surfaces dramatically enhanced the electrical performances of both p-type and n-type OFETs relative to the performances of OFETs prepared without the GO modification layer. Among the functionalized rGOs, CH3O-Ph-rGO yielded the highest hole mobility of 0.55 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) and electron mobility of 0.17 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) in p-type and n-type FETs, respectively. Two governing factors: (1) the work function of the modified electrodes and (2) the crystalline microstructures of the benchmark semiconductors grown on the modified electrode surface were systematically investigated to reveal the origin of the performance improvements. Our simple, inexpensive, and scalable electrode modification technique provides a significant step toward optimizing the device performance by engineering the semiconductor-electrode interfaces in OFETs.

Positively-charged reduced graphene oxide as an adhesion promoter for preparing a highly-stable silver nanowire film.

An ultrathin conductive adhesion promoter using positively charged reduced graphene oxide (rGO-NH3(+)) has been demonstrated for preparing highly stable silver nanowire transparent conductive electrodes (AgNW TCEs). The adhesion promoter rGO-NH3(+), spray coated between the substrate and AgNWs, significantly enhances the chemical and mechanical stabilities of the AgNW TCEs. Besides, the ultrathin thickness of the rGO-NH3(+) ensures excellent optical transparency and mechanical flexibility for TCEs. The AgNW films prepared using the adhesion promoter are extremely stable under harsh conditions, including ultrasonication in a variety of solvents, 3M Scotch tape detachment test, mechanical bending up to 0.3% strain, or fatigue over 1000 cycles. The greatly enhanced adhesion force is attributed to the ionic interactions between the positively charged protonated amine groups in rGO-NH3(+) and the negatively charged hydroxo- and oxo-groups on the AgNWs. The positively charged GO-NH3(+) and commercial polycationic polymer (poly allylamine hydrochloride) are also prepared as adhesion promoters for comparison with rGO-NH3(+). Notably, the closely packed hexagonal atomic structure of rGO offers better barrier properties to water permeation and demonstrates promising utility in durable waterproof electronics. This work offers a simple method to prepare high-quality TCEs and is believed to have great potential application in flexible waterproof electronics.