Electrochemical Synthesis, Deposition, and Doping of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Films

作者:Zeng, Cheng; Wang, Bohan; Zhang, Huanhuan; Sun, Mingxiao; Huang, Liangbin; Gu, Yanwei; Qiu, Zijie; Muellen, Klaus; Gu, Cheng*; Ma, Yuguang*
来源:Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2021, 143(7): 2682-2687.
DOI:10.1021/jacs.0c13298

摘要

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are employed as organic semiconductors because their delocalized pi-electron systems and strong intermolecular interactions endow them with an exceptional charge-transport ability. However, the deposition of PAHs from solution onto high-quality thin films is often difficult. Here, we report a one-step electrochemical method to synthesize and deposit unsubstituted PAHs, starting from twisted oligophenyl precursors. The cyclodehydrogenated products were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser-desorption time-of-flight mass spectrometry as well as Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy. With this electrosynthesis and deposition, the PAHs stack into compact and ordered supramolecular structures along the pi-pi direction to form thin films with controllable thicknesses and doping levels. The direct fabrication of PAH films opens new pathways toward PAH-based optoelectronic devices.