Semiconducting Polymers: Poly(thiophenes)

Abstract

Owing to the excellent optoelectronic properties and ease of synthesis, poly(3‐alkylthiophenes) (P3ATs) have been extensively studied as one of the best conjugated semiconducting polymeric materials for organic electronic applications, such as organic field effect transistors (OFETs), bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells, and organic light emitting diodes. The asymmetric structure of the 3‐alkylthiophene monomer leads to the formation of three different regioisomers due to the different coupling possibilities and generate (P3AT) polymers with different regioregularities, which affect the optoelectronic properties. The current review highlights the evolution of the synthetic methods utilized for the synthesis of regioregular poly(3‐alkylthiophene) homopolymer and block copolymers, their charge transport properties, the effects of regioregularity, molecular weight, processing techniques on the charge transport properties, and their applications in OFETs and BHJ solar cells.