Hollow organic capsules assemble into cellular semiconductors

Boyuan Zhang, Raúl Hernández Sánchez, Yu Zhong, Melissa Ball, Maxwell W. Terban, Daniel Paley, Simon J. L. Billinge, Fay Ng (), Michael L. Steigerwald () and Colin Nuckolls ()
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Boyuan Zhang: Columbia University
Raúl Hernández Sánchez: Columbia University
Yu Zhong: Columbia University
Melissa Ball: Columbia University
Maxwell W. Terban: Columbia University
Daniel Paley: Columbia University
Simon J. L. Billinge: Columbia University
Fay Ng: Columbia University
Michael L. Steigerwald: Columbia University
Colin Nuckolls: Columbia University

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-6

Abstract: Abstract Self-assembly of electroactive molecules is a promising route to new types of functional semiconductors. Here we report a capsule-shaped molecule that assembles itself into a cellular semiconducting material. The interior space of the capsule with a volume of ~415 Å3 is a nanoenvironment that can accommodate a guest. To self-assemble these capsules into electronic materials, we functionalize the thiophene rings with bromines, which encode self-assembly into two-dimensional layers held together through halogen bonding interactions. In the solid state and in films, these two-dimensional layers assemble into the three-dimensional crystalline structure. This hollow material is able to form the active layer in field effect transistor devices. We find that the current of these devices has strong response to the guest’s interaction within the hollow spaces in the film. These devices are remarkable in their ability to distinguish, through their electrical response, between small differences in the guest.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04246-0

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