Synthesis and characterization of 2,7-diethynyl-benzo[b]benzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-d]thiophene derivative as organic semiconductors for organic thin-film transistors

•New benzo[b]benzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-d]thiophene derivatives were developed.•Organic thin-film transistors containing the new semiconductors were fabricated and characterized.•Thin films of a semiconductor moieties exhibited good device performance.

New benzo[b]benzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-d]thiophene derivatives were synthesized and characterized as organic semiconductors in top-contact/bottom-gate organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs). New compounds were fully characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, UV–vis spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and density functional theory calculation. New compounds were vacuum-deposited as thin films, and investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Thin-film transistors based on compound 1 showed decent p-channel characteristics with mobility as high as 0.58 cm2 V−1 s−1 and current on/off ratio of 106–109. Thin film microstructure and surface morphologies have been correlated with the corresponding device performance.

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