Improved synthesis, charge carrier mobility, conformation, crystalline structure, andmolecular packing of the regiochemically pure 4',3' '' '-dihexyl-2,2';5',2' ';5' ',2' '';5' '',2' '' ';5' '' ',2' '' ''-sexithiophene (
,
'-DH6T) are reported. The sum of charge carrier mobilities of
,
'-DH6Tmeasured by the pulse-radiolysis time-resolved microwave conductivity (PR-TRMC) techniquewas found to be
min = 3.9 × 10
-3 cm
2 V
-1 s
-1, which is comparable with the PR-TRMCmobility found for
,
-DH6T. The field-effect mobility (FEM) of
,
'-DH6T was found to beon the order of 10
-5 cm
2 V
-1 s
-1, which is considerably less than the FEM of
,
-DH6T. Tounderstand the reason for such poor macroscopic electrical properties, the conformation andthe molecular packing of
,
'-DH6T were systematically studied by means of UV-visspectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-raytechniques. Absorption spectra of a
,
'-DH6T spin-cast film indicate the planar conformationof the aromatic backbone. SEM and AFM reveal the formation of an ordered lamellar phase.As a single-crystal X-ray study shows,
,
'-DH6T exhibits less dense crystalline packingthan
,
-DH6T. In contrast to the almost upright orientation of
,
-DH6T molecules againstthe substrate (tilt angle about 68
), the long axis of
,
'-DH6T molecules and the surfaceplane form an angle of ~20
. Thus, the crystalline structure of
,
-DH6T "allows" the currentto flow along the molecular stacks; the crystalline structure of
,
'-DH6T suppresses thecharge transport.