High-mobility organic mixed conductors with a low synthetic complexity index via direct arylation polymerization.

Through direct arylation polymerization, a series of mixed ion-electron conducting polymers with a low synthetic complexity index is synthesized. A thieno[3,2- b ]thiophene monomer with oligoether side chains is used in direct arylation polymerization together with a wide range of aryl bromides with varying electronic character from electron-donating thiophene to electron-accepting benzothiadiazole. The obtained polymers are less synthetically complex than other mixed ion-electron conducting polymers due to higher yield, fewer synthetic steps and less toxic reagents. Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) based on a newly synthesized copolymer comprising thieno[3,2- b ]thiophene with oligoether side chains and bithiophene exhibit excellent device performance. A high charge-carrier mobility of up to μ = 1.8 cm 2 V -1 s -1 was observed, obtained by dividing the figure of merit [ μC *] from OECT measurements by the volumetric capacitance C * from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, which reached a value of more than 215 F cm -3 .