Thin film formation and polymerization of liquid -crystalline Perylene bearing cyclotetrasiloxane rings

Abstract

Liquid -crystalline (LC) semiconductors are able to form thin films by solution processes. In situ polymerization of LC semiconductor is effective to produce macroscopically aligned semiconductor films. In this study, we synthesized perylene tetrac arboxylic bisimide (PTCBI) derivatives bearing heptamethylcyclotetrasiloxane mo ieties at terminal positions of the alkyl chains. Then, we produced thin films of this compound s, and exposed them to vapor of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid at 70 C. The thin f ilms were insolubilized through ring -opening polymerization of the cyclotetrasiloxane moieties.