Influence of the perfluoroalkyl chain length in buckminsterfullerene derivatives for the field-effect transistor performances

Abstract

Series of [60]fulleropyrrolidine derivatives containing perfluoroalkyl chains of different lengths linked to a phenyl group through a pyrrolidine ring have been successfully designed and synthesized. These compounds exhibited field-effect electron mobility with values ranging from 10−3 to 10−2cm2V−1s−1 depending on the length of the alkyl chain at the N-1 position of the pyrrolidine ring and perfluoroalkyl chain. A device operation study was also conducted under ambient conditions, revealing that the fluoroalkyl chains effectively induce air durability of FET devices. Our results thus suggest the short perfluoroalkyl groups can be selected as an alternative substituent group of the [60]fullerene for solution processable n-channel OFET material.