Eco-friendly, low-temperature solution-processed polyimide (PI) thin films with high hydrolytic stability have been successfully developed for gate dielectric layers in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). These films are synthesized using poly(amic acid) (PAA), a precursor of PI, based on 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) and p-phenylenediamine (pPDA) with 1,2-dimethylimidazole in deionized water. The addition of 1,2-dimethylimidazole enhances the hydrolytic stability and solubility of the ammonium salt of PAA (PAAS) in water. Comparative studies between PAA polymerized in deionized water (W-PAAS) and in organic solvent (O-PAA) show that W-PAAS offers superior hydrolytic stability and reliable surface properties. Consequently, OFETs using W-PI gate dielectrics exhibit a 100% yield at low temperatures below 250 °C, irrespective of the processing environment. -Scientific Journal cover design by scapiens

https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2020/tc/d0tc03341c#!divAbstract