Highly Crystalline 2,6,9,10-Tetrakis((4-hexylphenyl)ethynyl)anthracene for Efficient Solution-Processed Field-effect Transistors

A new anthracene-containing conjugated molecule was synthesized through the Sonogashira coupling and reduction reactions. 1-Ethynyl-4-hexylbenzene was coupled to 2,6-bis((4-hexylphenyl) ethynyl)anthracene-9,10-dione through a reduction reaction to generate 2,6,9,10-tetrakis((4-hexylphenyl)ethynyl) anthracene. The semiconducting properties were evaluated in an organic thin film transistor (OTFT) and a single-crystal field-effect transistor (SC-FET). The OTFT showed a mobility of around 0.13 $cm^2\;V^{-1}\;s^{-1}$ ($I_{ON}/I_{OFF}$ > $10^6$), whereas the SC-FET showed a mobility of 1.00-1.35 $cm^2\;V^{-1}\;s^{-1}$, which is much higher than that of the OTFT. Owing to the high photoluminescence quantum yield of 2,6,9,10-tetrakis((4-hexylphenyl)ethynyl) anthracene, we could observe a significant increase in drain current under irradiation with visible light (${\lambda}$ = 538 nm, 12.5 ${\mu}W/cm^2$).