Electrosynthesis and characterization of ZnO nanoparticles as inorganic component in organic thin-film transistor active layers

• PSS-capped ZnO NPs were synthesized via a green electrochemical-thermal method
• The influence of electrochemical conditions and temperature was studied
• Spectroscopic data show that PSS functionalities are retained in the annealed NPs
• Nanostructured ZnO improved the performance of P3HT-based thin film transistors

ZnO nanoparticles have been prepared via a green electrochemical synthesis method in the presence of a polymeric anionic stabilizer (poly-sodium-4-styrenesulfonate, PSS), and then applied as inorganic component in poly-3-hexyl-thiophene thin-film transistor active layers. Different parameters (i.e. current density, electrolytic media, PSS concentration, and temperature) influencing nanoparticle synthesis have been studied. The resulting nanomaterials have been investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and spectroscopic techniques (UV-Vis, infrared, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopies), assessing the most suitable conditions for the synthesis and thermal annealing of nanostructured ZnO. The proposed ZnO nanoparticles have been successfully coupled with a poly-3-hexyl-thiophene thin-film resulting in thin-film transistors with improved performance.