Iain McCulloch

This presentation will discuss current understanding of the molecular design features responsible for optimising the optical, electronic and microstructure properties of semiconducting polymers.  A range of applications have been developed which employ organic semiconductors as the active layer for charge transport, light absorption and emission, as well as photocatalysis and bioelectronics.  We will firstly take a close look at the molecular features responsible for the high charge carrier mobility of the indacenodithiophene-co-benzothiadiazole copolymer, a benchmark semiconducting polymer employed in organic transistors. This will involve highlighting the influence of conformational coplanarity and side-chain assisted self-assembly to create efficient one-dimensional transport along conjugated polymer backbones. Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) have been shown to be promising devices for amplification of electrical signals and selective sensing of ions and biologically important molecules in an aqueous environment, and thus have potential to be utilised in bioelectronic applications.  The sensitivity, selectivity and intensity of the response of this device is determined by the organic semiconducting polymer employed as the active layer.  We will discuss structure-property relationships required to optimize performance.