Solvent-Based Recycling of Blade-Coated Conjugated Polymers Used in Organic Thin-Film Transistors

Molecular tunability and solution processability of conjugated polymers enable the fabrication of a wide range of large-area organic electronic devices. Nevertheless, the material sustainability of conjugated polymers could limit industrial scale-up. Here, we recover active layers of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) through solvent-based recycling of polymer films. Redissolved conjugated polymer solutions can be redeposited via blade-coating to fabricate OTFTs with field-effect hole mobilities comparable to those of freshly made devices. Alkyl- and π-stacking distances of conjugated polymer thin films do not change after recycling, and there are minimal amounts of main-chain and side-chain degradation observed after recycling. Device performance, film microstructure, and polymer stability are preserved for various blade-coated conjugated polymers, demonstrating that recycling is compatible with both scalable film casting and the ever-expanding design space of conjugated polymers in organic transistors.