Revealing Strain-Induced Conjugated Polymer Behaviors with Soft X-Ray Scattering and Spectroscopy

Conjugated polymers have generated great interest due to their potential in the fabrication of deformable logic circuits that can be integrated into portable/wearable electronics. Here, we developed a beamline setup that can be capable of probing the bulk- and surface-sensitive data of polymer thin films during tensile test using soft x-ray. The combination of experimental and simulated x-ray spectroscopies assists to uncover the fingerprint of molecular behaviors under strain-stress measurement. Furthermore, to establish the relationship of the molecular evolution and device performances, the charge transport properties of the static strained thin film are also evaluated. We expect this work can contribute to understand the molecular origins of mechanical behaviors associated with the resulting device performances.