In recent years the highly conducting π-conjugated systems attracted much attention as possible active material in electronic and optoelectronic devices. The strength of the organic semiconductors is the structural versatility that allows designing specific molecules incorporating different functionality, however, some key problems remain for further advancement: the low mobility compared to inorganic semiconductors and the low stability of organic materials.
It is well known that the molecular packing has a great influence on the final properties of the material, therefore, a complete understanding of the crystal packing of the organic semiconductors is essential for the analysis of the charge transport between molecules, especially the structural characterisation is proving to be a useful tool for new insights on structure-properties relationship. Furthermore, in crystalline organic semiconductors, the polymorphism is emerging as a valuable means alternative to molecular design as it allows to control and modulate optoelectronic and charge transport properties.
Prof. Lucia Maini.