Self-assembled photoactive polyelectrolyte/perylene-diimide composites

Xie, A; Liu, B; Hall, JE; Barron, SL; Higgins, DA

HERO ID

3576016

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year

2005

Language

English

PMID

15835987

HERO ID 3576016
In Press No
Year 2005
Title Self-assembled photoactive polyelectrolyte/perylene-diimide composites
Authors Xie, A; Liu, B; Hall, JE; Barron, SL; Higgins, DA
Journal Langmuir
Volume 21
Issue 9
Page Numbers 4149-4155
Abstract A new class of polyelectrolyte-surfactant (PE-surf) composites having potential applications as thin film organic semiconductors is introduced. These materials are comprised of cationic asymmetrically substituted perylene diimides and oppositely charged poly(acrylate) polyanions. Thin films of the composite materials are prepared by mixing and drop casting aqueous solutions of the two precursors onto appropriate substrates. The resulting materials yield photovoltages of >140 mV for approximately equal to 0.6 W/cm(2) illumination intensities, when incorporated in p-n heterojunction devices. Solution-phase spectra obtained from the PE-surf complexes exhibit excimer-like emission and evidence for formation of weakly coupled aggregates in the ground state. Wide-angle X-ray scattering data show the composite films are locally amorphous, while small-angle X-ray data are consistent with a mixture of polymorphic structures that incorporate planar PE-surf bilayers of 3.9-nm repeat distances. Images obtained by conventional far-field light microscopy and multiphoton-excited fluorescence microscopy (MPEFM) indicate that the films are heterogeneous, incorporating submicrometer sized clusters dispersed among much thinner film regions that also incorporate dye. Polarization-dependent MPEFM studies prove the clusters are semiorganized, yielding order parameters (s and P(4)) of 0.09 and 0.01 for in-plane alignment of the chromophores, consistent with a relatively high degree of disorder.
Doi 10.1021/la0471700
Pmid 15835987
Wosid WOS:000228590800061
Is Certified Translation No
Dupe Override No
Is Public Yes
Language Text English