State-of-the-art alternating semiconducting polymers, synthesized via established academic protocols, often contain homocoupling defects, causing the true structure to deviate from the anticipated perfectly alternating polymer backbone. These structural defects significantly hinder the reproducibility across different polymer batches, posing a challenge to the commercial viability of the organic semiconductor field, while simultaneously imposing performance limitations in different applications by creating defected chains, limiting the attainable molecular weight and increasing the dispersity. In this study, two synthesis methods – conventional Stille polymerization and a novel defect-free route – are employed to create the p-type accumulation mode OECT (organic electrochemical transistor) benchmark material pgBTTT. The effect of homocoupling, and its absence, is investigated by comparing the bulk properties of the two polymers and evaluating their respective OECT performances.
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