N-type polymer semiconductors incorporating para, meta, and ortho-carborane in the conjugated backbone

We report on three novel n-type conjugated polymer semiconductors incorporating carborane in the polymer backbone and demonstrate their applicability in optoelectronic devices. Comparing the optoelectronic properties of para-, meta-, and ortho-carborane isomers revealed similar energetic characteristics between the different polymers, with the carborane unit acting as a “conjugation breaker”, confining electron delocalisation to the conjugated moieties. The fabrication of all-polymer organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices and thin-film transistors (TFTs) revealed some differences in device performance between the polymers, with the meta-carborane based polymer exhibiting superior performance in both OPV and TFT devices. [Display omitted] •Comparing the use of p-, m-, and o-carborane in the backbone of conjugated polymers.•The carborane unit acts as a “conjugation breaker” in the conjugated system.•Varying the carborane isomer has a small impact on physical properties of polymers.•The polymers demonstrate applicability in OPV and TFT devices.•Different carborane isomers significantly impact device performance.