1. Could you explain the significance of your article to the non-specialist? 

Poly- and oligothiophenes are among the best investigated and most promising semiconducting materials for applications in organic electronics. They show excellent charge transport properties which is crucial for organic field-effect transistors and organic solar cells. It became clear in recent years, that order in these materials improve the relevant properties leading to a better performance of the devices. Therefore, any information about the control of arrangement of these molecules in the solid state is important and valuable. In this sense, the X-ray structure analysis of this dodecamer gives detailed information on the molecular and packing parameters of the longest oligothiophene ever investigated. Due to its extended chain length of 12 thiophene repeating units it marks an intermediate position between shorter oligomers and corresponding polymers, e.g., poly(3-alkylthiophenes), from which only less precise X-ray diffraction data are available.

2. What has motivated you to conduct this work? 

The understanding and control of self-organization properties of conjugated oligomers and polymers are very important in order to develop efficient organic electronic devices.

3. Where do you see this work developing in the future? 

In this very interdisciplinary field, chemists will synthesize new conjugated systems with more exciting and better properties and tailor these materials. In the future, more efforts will be put in the use of other concepts to self-organize and self-assemble these materials. E.g., conjugates of organic semiconductors with well-organizing biological systems (oligonucleotides, peptides) leading to "bioinspired organic semiconductors" might be explored and will lead to new superstructures and hopefully new properties.

4. Are there any particular challenges facing future research in this area?

There are many particular challenges leading to self-organizing organic semiconductors with appropriate physical properties (optical, redox, transport). Novel synthetic methods and strategies have to be developed as well as more precise investigations on the molecular arrangement in 2D and 3D. Finally, the control of the built-up of the devices which typically comprise multi layers of various components is a major challenge and clearly also depend on the physical properties of the material (solubility, a.s.o.).