Mimicking Conjugated Polymer Thin-Film Photophysics with a Well-Defined Triblock Copolymer in Solution

Conjugated polymers (CPs) are promising materials for use in electronic applications, such as low-cost, easily processed organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices. Improving OPV efficiencies is hindered by a lack of a fundamental understanding of the photophysics in CP-based thin films that is complicated...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of physical chemistry. B 2013-04, Vol.117 (16), p.4170-4176
Main Authors: Brazard, Johanna, Ono, Robert J, Bielawski, Christopher W, Barbara, Paul F, Vanden Bout, David A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Block copolymers
Collapse
CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
Electrical, magnetic and optical properties
Electronic spectra
Electronics
Exact sciences and technology
Fluorescence
INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
Mathematical models
Organic polymers
Physicochemistry of polymers
Properties and characterization
solar (photovoltaic), phonons, energy storage (including batteries and capacitors), defects, charge transport, materials and chemistry by design, synthesis (novel materials), synthesis (self-assembly)
SOLAR ENERGY
Solvents
Thin films
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Conjugated polymers (CPs) are promising materials for use in electronic applications, such as low-cost, easily processed organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices. Improving OPV efficiencies is hindered by a lack of a fundamental understanding of the photophysics in CP-based thin films that is complicated by their heterogeneous nanoscale morphologies. Here, we report on a poly(3-hexylthiophene)-block-poly(tert-butyl acrylate)-block-poly(3-hexylthiophene) rod–coil–rod triblock copolymer. In good solvents, this polymer resembles solutions of P3HT; however, upon the addition of a poor solvent, the two P3HT chains within the triblock copolymer collapse, affording a material with electronic spectra identical to those of a thin film of P3HT. Using this new system as a model for thin films of P3HT, we can attribute the low fluorescence quantum yield of films to the presence of a charge-transfer state, providing fundamental insights into the condensed phase photophysics that will help to guide the development of the next generation of materials for OPVs.
ISSN:1520-6106
1520-5207
DOI:10.1021/jp3001256