Recent structural evolution of lactam- and imide-functionalized polymers applied in organic field-effect transistors and organic solar cells

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Organic Electronics
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Donor-acceptor (D-A) polymers are crucial for organic optoelectronic devices like organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and organic solar cells (OSCs).
• Acceptor moieties are fundamental building blocks influencing polymer performance.
• Lactam- and imide-functionalized electron-deficient building blocks are widely studied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the structural evolution of lactam- or imide-containing acceptors.
• To discuss representative polymers and their applications in OFETs and OSCs.
• To analyze the impact of modified acceptors on polymer properties and guide future research.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of structurally modified D-A polymers.
• Analysis of lactam- and imide-based acceptor units (e.g., diketopyrrolopyrrole, isoindigo, naphthalene diimide, perylene diimide).
• Correlation of structural modifications with physicochemical and photoelectrical properties.

Main Results:

• Detailed overview of structural variations in lactam- and imide-containing acceptors.
• Examples of high-performance polymers utilizing these acceptors in OFETs and OSCs.
• Demonstrated influence of acceptor structure on polymer performance.

Conclusions:

• Structural modification of lactam- and imide-based acceptors significantly impacts organic semiconductor properties.
• Further development of novel acceptors and modification strategies is essential for advancing organic optoelectronics.
• This review provides insights for designing new electron-deficient building blocks and high-performance semiconductor materials.