Substitution site effect of naphthyl substituted anthracene derivatives and their applications in organic optoelectronics

By introducing the naphthyl group into the 2,6-positions of anthracene, two different anthracene derivatives, 2,6-di(2-naphthyl)anthracene (2,6-di(2-Na)Ant) and 2,6-di(1-naphthyl)anthracene (2,6-di(1-Na)Ant) were synthesized. The tiny change in the substitution site of the naphthyl group leads to a significant difference in the molecular packing and further exerts a great impact on their optoelectronic properties. Thin film field-effect transistors for 2,6-di(2-Na)Ant show charge transport mobility up to 2.1 cm2 V−1 s−1, while 2,6-di(1-Na)Ant demonstrates no mobility. Moreover, thin film phototransistors of 2,6-di(2-Na)Ant show a photoresponsivity of 6.9 × 103 A W−1, a high photosensitivity of 2.6 × 106 and an excellent detectivity of 3.4 × 1016 Jones, which is one of the highest performances of thin film organic phototransistors reported to date.