Abstract: Semiconductors are materials possessing properties between insulators and conductors and
are essential in every modern electronic device. Organic semiconductors have advantages
such as tunable electronic properties, cost-effective processing, mechanical flexibility, and
optical transparency. This makes them highly promising for wearable electronics,
photovoltaics, and photodetectors.
Polymer organic semiconductors enable large-scale, high-throughout manufacturing due to
their roll-to-roll compatibility. Commonly, conjugated polymers have a so-called alternating
structure, combining one electron-donating and one electron-accepting segment in a
repeating unit. By manipulating individual units inside alternating structures, a variety of
different conjugated polymers with required properties for specific applications can be
synthesized.
Our study is focused on the synthesis and study of conjugated polymers for all-polymer
organic photovoltaics and organic photodetector electronic devices. While both device types
share structural similarities and convert light into charge carriers, photovoltaics store energy
for future use, whereas photodetectors generate an immediate electrical signal. The findings
include molecular weight dependency of the promising electron-donating polymer and
synthesis and characterization of various new polymers for photodetector applications. We
hope these insights will boost the understanding and future commercialization of conjugated
polymers as semiconductors in electronic devices.
