Quadrites and Crossed-Chain Crystal Structures in Polymer Semiconductors

Many high-performance conjugated
polymers for organic photovoltaics
and transistors crystallize such that chains are parallel, resulting
in significant anisotropy of the nanoscale charge transport properties.
Here we demonstrate an unusual intercrystallite relationship where
thin lamellae adopt a preferred epitaxial relationship with crossed-chains
at the interface. The crossed-chains may allow either crystal to use
the other as an “electronic shunt”, creating efficient
quasi-three-dimensional transport pathways that reduce the severity
of grain boundaries and defects in limiting transport.