Large‐Area Endohedral Metallofullerene Single‐Crystal Arrays for High‐Performance Field‐Effect Transistors and Photodetectors

Abstract A structure with high crystallinity and orderly molecular packing is a requirement for high‐performance optoelectronic devices. However, growing large‐area, long‐range order, highly crystalline micro or nanostructures remains a challenge. Endohedral metallofullerenes (EMFs) are spherical π‐conjugated molecules with unique electronic structures, hence they can be easily assembled into highly ordered crystals through intermolecular π–π interactions. In this work, large‐area single‐crystal microwire arrays of M 3 N@ I h ‐C 80 (M = Sc, Lu) are prepared with the assistance of a pillar‐structured template, and the microwire diameter can be tuned via the fullerene concentration. A field‐effect transistor is fabricated using Sc 3 N@ I h ‐C 80 microwire arrays, exhibiting a record‐high charge carrier mobility (6.16 cm 2 V −1 s −1 ) among EMF‐based devices. Further, microwire‐based photodetectors are developed, with a response time as low as 0.1 s. The precise arrangement of the M 3 N@ I h ‐C 80 molecules helps improve the electron transportation channels, thereby enhancing the device performance.