Multiscale structural mapping of semicrystalline conjugated polymer nanowires by cryo-TEM for stretchable thin film devices

Abstract

One-dimensional conjugated polymer nanowires fabricated by crystallization-driven self-assembly have attracted attention as preassembled building blocks for solution-processable optoelectronic devices. However, the as-prepared nanowire solution inherently contains a mixture of crystalline species and kinetically trapped amorphous chains, and the contributions of these components to charge transport and mechanical response remain difficult to separate. Although semicrystalline conjugated polymers can achieve high charge carrier mobility through tie-chain-mediated percolation between crystalline domains, approaches to systematically control the balance between crystalline order and nanoscale morphology have been lacking.