A novel organic semiconductor 4-phenylthiazol-2-yl-(phenylhydrazono) acetonitrile (PTPA) thin films: synthesis, optical and electrical properties

Abstract

Abstract In this study, 4-phenylthiazol-2-yl-(phenylhydrazono) acetonitrile (PTPA) azo dye was synthesized and studied from optical and electrical point of view. The tautomerization phenomenon of the PTPA dye was clarified using one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) nuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR and 13C NMR), absorbance (UV-Vis), emission, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). X-ray diffraction (XRD) evaluations were indicated that PTPA in powder and thin films crystallizes in a monoclinic system structure with nonstructural characteristics. Spectrophotometric measurements of absorbance A (λ), transmittance T (λ) and reflectance R (λ) at normal incidence light in the wavelength range 200–2500 nm were used to determine the optical band gap, extinction coefficient, k and refractive index, n. Also, non-linear optical parameters such as the third order non-linear susceptibility, χ (3) and nonlinear refractive index, n (2) of PTPA have revealed an awe-inspiring switching behavior, implying the possibility of using PTPA in optical switching systems. Finally, the electrical conductivity of the PTPA was shown to increase with rising temperature, indicating that it is a typical organic semiconductor. Mott’s parameters were determined and discussed at low temperatures. Thus, PTPA is a promising organic semiconductor with broad utility potential in organic electronics such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).