Solution-processed organic field-effect transistors composed of poly(4-styrene sulfonate) wrapped multiwalled carbon nanotube source/drain electrodes

Abstract

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were solubilized in water by wrapping them noncovalently with poly(4-styrene sulfonate) (PSS). The PSS-wrapped MWNTs exhibited a high conductivity (2.0 x 10(2) S/cm) when compared to other solution-processed electrodes. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy results show the PSS-wrapped nanotubes have a work function of 4.83 eV, which is 0.36 eV higher than that of untreated MWNTs. We fabricated triisopropylsilylethynyl pentacene field-effect transistors (FETs) using the PSS-wrapped MWNTs as source/drain electrodes and found that the field-effect mobility of the thus obtained devices was 0.043 cm(2) V (1) s (2). This mobility is four times higher than that of similar FETs containing gold electrodes (0.011 cm(2) V (1) s (2)). (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.