Summary
This study demonstrates field-effect transistors built from a single electrospun nanofibre of the light-emitting conjugated polymer MEH-PPV (poly(2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexoxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene)). Individual polymer nanofibres are positioned to bridge source and drain electrodes and gated to form a working transistor whose channel is a single fibre. Remarkably, these single-fibre devices show electrical performance comparable to, or better than, thin-film transistors made from the same organic semiconductor. The authors attribute this to the alignment of the polymer chains induced by the strong stretching of the electrospinning jet, which improves charge transport along the fibre. Because the polymer is also luminescent, the work points toward integrated, nanoscale optoelectronic devices that combine transistor action with light emission.