Semiconducting Materials for Printed Flexible Electronics

Abstract

Inorganic, organic, and hybrid composite semiconducting materials are critical for developing active flexible electronics. Inorganic materials have superior properties in terms of performance and stability while solution processable organic semiconductors are attractive due to low-cost processing at ambient environment and flexibility. Examples of inorganic semiconductors commonly used for flexible electronics are Si, oxides of transition metals, and chalcogenides. From the printability point of view, the solubility and proper dispersion of organic semiconductors are important parameters. Commonly used solution-processed organic semiconductors having acceptable charge transport and mobility include regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), poly(triarylamine), poly(3,3-didodecyl quaterthiophene) (PQT), poly(2,5-bis(3-tetradecyllthiophen-2-yl) and thieno[3,2-b]thiophene) (PBTTT). Fullerenes and solution processable derivatives such as phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) blended with P3HT are some of the commonly used electron donors and acceptors in the bulk heterojunction devices. Additionally, carbon nanotubes and graphene are also under investigation due to their high mobility. Besides, three-dimensionally confined semiconductor quantum dots and nanoconfinement of semiconductors have emerged to be a versatile material system with unique physical properties for a wide range of device applications including flexible electronics. This chapter will provide a brief review on the perspectives and prospects of semiconducting materials for printed flexible electronics, including inorganic, organic semiconductors and their composite systems.