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Manipulation and statistical analysis of the fluid flow of polymer semiconductor solutions during meniscus-guided coating

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2020

Leo Shaw Open the ORCID record for Leo Shaw [Opens in a new window] ,
Ying Diao Open the ORCID record for Ying Diao [Opens in a new window] ,
Geoffrey C. Martin-Noble ,
Hongping Yan Open the ORCID record for Hongping Yan [Opens in a new window] ,
Pascal Hayoz ,
R. Thomas Weitz Open the ORCID record for R. Thomas Weitz [Opens in a new window] ,
Daniel Kaelblein ,
Michael F. Toney Open the ORCID record for Michael F. Toney [Opens in a new window]  and
Zhenan Bao Open the ORCID record for Zhenan Bao [Opens in a new window]
Leo Shaw
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, USA
Ying Diao
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
Geoffrey C. Martin-Noble
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, USA
Hongping Yan
Affiliation:
Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, USA
Pascal Hayoz
Affiliation:
BASF Schweiz AG, Schweizerhalle, Switzerland
R. Thomas Weitz
Affiliation:
I. Physikalisches Institut, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany
Daniel Kaelblein*
Affiliation:
BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany
Michael F. Toney*
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, USA
Zhenan Bao*
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, USA
*
*Corresponding authors: Daniel Kaelblein, [email protected]; Michael F. Toney, [email protected]; Zhenan Bao, [email protected]
*Corresponding authors: Daniel Kaelblein, [email protected]; Michael F. Toney, [email protected]; Zhenan Bao, [email protected]
*Corresponding authors: Daniel Kaelblein, [email protected]; Michael F. Toney, [email protected]; Zhenan Bao, [email protected]
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Abstract

Recent work in structure–processing relationships of polymer semiconductors have demonstrated the versatility and control of thin-film microstructure offered by meniscus-guided coating (MGC) techniques. Here, we analyze the qualitative and quantitative aspects of solution shearing, a model MGC method, using coating blades augmented with arrays of pillars. The pillars induce local regions of high strain rates—both shear and extensional—not otherwise possible with unmodified blades, and we use fluid mechanical simulations to model and study a variety of pillar spacings and densities. We then perform a statistical analysis of 130 simulation variables to find correlations with three dependent variables of interest: thin-film degree of crystallinity and transistor field-effect mobilities for charge-transport parallel (μpara) and perpendicular (μperp) to the coating direction. Our study suggests that simple fluid mechanical models can reproduce substantive correlations between the induced fluid flow and important performance metrics, providing a methodology for optimizing blade design.

Keywords

semiconductingpolymersolution depositionsimulationstatistics
Type
Article
Information
MRS Bulletin , First View , pp. 1 - 14
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020, published on behalf of Materials Research Society by Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

Polymer semiconductors have opened up a new frontier of electronics that can be flexible, stretchable, implantable, or biodegradable. While the chemical and electronic properties of these materials are important for their function as the active material in organic electronic devices, the manner by which these organic semiconductors are deposited onto a substrate can significantly influence its charge-transport properties.While a variety of techniques have been investigated to enhance charge-transport behavior, there are few reports approaching the issue in terms of the fluid dynamical considerations relevant during deposition from the solution phase. In this article, we analyze the fluid flow that occurs during thin-film deposition by solution shearing, a representative meniscus-guided coating method amenable to high-throughput processing. We investigate a variety of variables related to fluid flow that can be estimated from fluid mechanical simulations of solution shearing with a coating blade patterned with a regular array of pillars used to induce higher fluid strain rates. We find correlations suggestive of underlying relationships between strain rates associated with certain directions and polymer charge-transport properties in the final deposited film. This article establishes a statistical approach using simulation data that can guide patterned blade design to enhance polymer deposition and realize high-performance devices.

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