About this Research Topic
In the late 1970s, Heeger et al. discovered the characteristics of electrical conduction for polymers, opening a new era of organic electronics. These semiconducting polymers are mechanically flexible and solution-processable, and also allow the fabrication of large-area devices, holding great potentials in applications of next-generation electronic devices such as organic field-effect transistors and organic photovoltaics. Up until now, the performance of polymer electronic devices has reached a field-effect mobility of > 10 cm2/(V·s) in transistors and a power conversion efficiency of > 18% in photovoltaics. This remarkable progress is largely attributed to synthetic chemistry, processing technology, and device engineering.
This Research Topic aims to understand the fundamental relations between structure and property in polymer transistors and photovoltaics from the following aspects: (i) the role of molecular design on optoelectronic properties; (ii) the importance of synthetic methodology on the molecular weight of polymers; (iii) role of deposition techniques on the microstructure and surface morphology of active materials; (iv) the importance of interfacial engineering on the charge transport.
We welcome high-quality experimental or theoretical studies that report new understanding, applications, properties, and synthesis of semiconducting polymers, as Original Research, Review, Mini-Review, and Perspective articles. The main focused themes in this Research Topic include, but are not limited, to:
• Identification and characterization of the bottlenecks in field-effect transistors and photovoltaics fabricated by various deposition methods
• Role of substituents group and chemical structure on self-assembly, morphology, and charge carrier transport in high molecular weight organic semiconductors
• Identification of the impact of interfacial microstructure, interfaces, and interlayer materials on charge carrier transport in polymeric thin semiconductor films
• Device and system integration
This Research Topic aims to understand the fundamental relations between structure and property in polymer transistors and photovoltaics from the following aspects: (i) the role of molecular design on optoelectronic properties; (ii) the importance of synthetic methodology on the molecular weight of polymers; (iii) role of deposition techniques on the microstructure and surface morphology of active materials; (iv) the importance of interfacial engineering on the charge transport.
We welcome high-quality experimental or theoretical studies that report new understanding, applications, properties, and synthesis of semiconducting polymers, as Original Research, Review, Mini-Review, and Perspective articles. The main focused themes in this Research Topic include, but are not limited, to:
• Identification and characterization of the bottlenecks in field-effect transistors and photovoltaics fabricated by various deposition methods
• Role of substituents group and chemical structure on self-assembly, morphology, and charge carrier transport in high molecular weight organic semiconductors
• Identification of the impact of interfacial microstructure, interfaces, and interlayer materials on charge carrier transport in polymeric thin semiconductor films
• Device and system integration
Keywords: semiconducting polymers, molecular structure, morphology control, field-effect transistors, photovoltaics
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
