Untangling the Fundamental Electronic Origins of Non-Local Electron–Phonon Coupling in Organic Semiconductors

Organic semiconductors with distinct molecular properties and large carrier mobilities are constantly developed in attempt to produce highly-efficient electronic materials. Recently, designer molecules with unique structural modifications have been expressly developed to suppress molecular motions in the solid state that arise from low-energy phonon modes, which uniquely limit carrier mobilities through electron–phonon coupling. However, such low-frequency vibrational dynamics often involve complex molecular dynamics, making comprehension of the underlying electronic origins of electron–phonon coupling difficult. In this study, first a mode-resolved picture of electron–phonon coupling in a series of materials that are specifically designed to suppress detrimental vibrational effects, is generated. From this foundation, a method is developed based on the crystalline orbital Hamiltonian population (COHP) analyses to resolve the origins—down to the single atomic-orbital scale—of surprisingly large electron–phonon coupling constants of particular vibrations, explicitly detailing the manner in which the intermolecular wavefunction overlap is perturbed. Overall, this approach provides a comprehensive explanation into the unexpected effects of less-commonly studied molecular vibrations, revealing new aspects of molecular design that should be considered for creating improved organic semiconducting materials.