Fullerene-tethered oligothiophenes as advanced molecular electronics materials*
Tetsuo Otsubo1, Yoshio Aso1, and Kazuo Takimiya2
1The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, Ibraki,Osaka 567-0047; 2Japan Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8527, Japan
Abstract: This article reviews the recent progress of fullerene-tethered oligothiophenes as advanced molecular electronics materials. By covalent linkage with fullerenes, oligothiophenes can be modified into intelligent functional materials. In addition to the characteristics of oligothiophenes as well as fullerenes, these linkage systems show intriguing physical properties such as photoinduced electron transfer, energy transfer, and ambipolar conductivity, caused by interactions between both components. These properties are of great use for the wide applications of the linkage compounds to devices. Their practical uses for photovoltaic cells and field effect transistors are demonstrated.
Keywords: Molecular electronics; fullerene-tethered oligothiophenes; oligothiophenes; photoinduced electron transfer; ambipolar conductivity.
*Paper based on a presentation at the 7th IUPAC International Conference on Heteroatom Chemistry (ICHAC-7), Shanghai, China, 21-25 August 2004. Other presentations are published in this issue, pp. 1985-2132.