Supramolecular polymer semiconductors (SPSs) toward organic mechatronics

Controllable noncovalent forces drive organic/polymer semiconductors into supramolecular organic devices with distinguishing functional features. Supramolecular polymer semiconductors (SPSs) have not only extraordinary optoelectronic characters, but also potentially selfassembly, soft and mechanical features, self-healing and stimuliresponsive behaviors. In this chapter, we explored a series of supramolecular approaches to plastic electronics and demonstrated the supramolecular resistive switching and supramolecular electroluminescence. Firstly, π-stacked polymer semiconductors exhibit two supramolecular features: the reversible conformational change and the behaviors of molecular tweezers. Hindrance-functionalized stacked polymers were explored to apply for host materials in polymer lightemitting devices (PLEDs) and resistive switching materials in polymer nonvolatile flash memory. Secondly, we found the polyfluorene gels in 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) at room temperatures with the feature emission peak at ~476 nm. Polyfluorenol-based supramolecular conjugated polymers (SCPs) exhibit the strong molecular assembled ability into gels, nanoparticles (nanogels) and aggregate bulk homojunction thin-films. Rather than ketone defect, aggregate mechanism of g-band at ~530 nm in PLEDs were supported by strong green emission of polyfluorenol-based SCPs in solution. PPFOH exhibit the color-tunable supramolecular (electro)luminescence in solutions, thin films and devices, ranging from blue, green, yellow, orange to white color by changing the molecular weight and formula solvents. We believe that SPSs and supramolecular mechatronics will become the cornerstone of organic learning mechanodevices to activate molecular consciousness toward organic intelligence robotics that will make one powerful science solution to social society in the 21st century.