Semiconductor prodigies outperform their parents

New high-performance semiconductors can be synthesized by screening derivatives of known organic semiconductors according to a study in Nature Communications this week. The development of new organic semiconductors with high mobility and air stability will facilitate the field of organic electronics.Alan Aspuru-Guzik and colleagues perform computational screening of potential organic semiconductors known as extended oligothiophenes. They identify a new compound expected to be twice as mobile as the parent molecule. Synthesis and characterization of this compound reveals that it has promise as a high-performance semiconductor. The authors suggest that this approach can be used to synthesize and characterize novel materials for applications in electronics, such as photovoltaics, flexible displays and sensors.