Large‐Area Endohedral Metallofullerene Single‐Crystal Arrays for High‐Performance Field‐Effect Transistors and Photodetectors

Abstract

AbstractA structure with high crystallinity and orderly molecular packing is a requirement for high‐performance optoelectronic devices. However, growing large‐area, long‐range order, highly crystalline micro or nanostructures remains a challenge. Endohedral metallofullerenes (EMFs) are spherical π‐conjugated molecules with unique electronic structures, hence they can be easily assembled into highly ordered crystals through intermolecular π–π interactions. In this work, large‐area single‐crystal microwire arrays of M3N@Ih‐C80 (M = Sc, Lu) are prepared with the assistance of a pillar‐structured template, and the microwire diameter can be tuned via the fullerene concentration. A field‐effect transistor is fabricated using Sc3N@Ih‐C80 microwire arrays, exhibiting a record‐high charge carrier mobility (6.16 cm2 V−1 s−1) among EMF‐based devices. Further, microwire‐based photodetectors are developed, with a response time as low as 0.1 s. The precise arrangement of the M3N@Ih‐C80 molecules helps improve the electron transportation channels, thereby enhancing the device performance.