Christopher M. Halsey1, Jon N. Bohnsack2, Michael W. Burand2, and Kent R. Mann2. (1) Truman State University, Kirksville, MO, (2) University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Organic semiconductors offer cheaper manufacturing alternatives to silicon-based materials due to their mechanical flexibility and processibility. Oligothiophenes show promising characteristics needed to produce efficient semiconductors. X-ray crystallography demonstrates several close intermolecular contacts make oligothiophenes with aromatic capping groups good candidates for organic semiconductors. This research will explore the effects of capping oligothiophenes with pyrene groups. Previous work has shown that mobility improves with increasing either the number of thiophene rings in the oligomer or the number of aromatic rings on the capping groups. This goal of this research in synthesizing pyrene-capped oligothiophenes is a step in both directions. Successful syntheses were confirmed by 1H NMR, cyclic voltammetry, and UV-Vis spectroscopy.
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