August 30, 2011 — Large organic semiconductor molecular structures will lead to plastic-based flexible electronics produced via roll-to-roll processing, inkjet printing or spray deposition, cheaply and in high volumes. Oana Jurchescu, assistant professor of physics at Wake Forest University, and a team of Stanford, Imperial College (London), University of Kentucky and Appalachian State researchers developed an extremely large molecule that is stable and possesses excellent electrical properties at a low cost.

The team studies field-effect transistors (FETs), specifically the effect of molecular structure on their electrical performance. They investigated new organic semiconductor materials amenable to transistor applications and explored their structure-property relationships.

Organic electronics build on carbon-based materials, which can be used to make artificial skin, smart bandages, flexible displays, smart windshields, wearable electronics and electronic wall papers that change patterns with a flip of the switch.

The research was predicated on predictions that larger carbon frameworks would have superior properties to their smaller counterparts. The Wake Forest team’s goal was to make these larger frameworks stable and soluble enough for study. "We need to improve our understanding of how they work," said Jurchescu.

Jurchescu’s lab is part of the physics department and the Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials. Wake Forest graduate students Katelyn Goetz and Jeremy Ward also worked on the research.

The team recently published their manuscript in Advanced Materials. Access it here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.201101619/abstract

Learn more about Wake Forest University at http://www.wfu.edu/