Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T01:44:07.018Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Complexes of conjugated polymer and carbon nanotubes: does blending with nanotubes influence the ordering of semi-crystalline polymers?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2011

Roland Goh ,
Eric Rolfe Waclawik ,
Nunzio Motta  and
John Marcus Bell
Roland Goh
Affiliation:
[email protected], Queensland University of Technology, 2 George St, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, QLD, 4001, Australia
Eric Rolfe Waclawik
Affiliation:
[email protected], Queensland University of Technology, School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Australia
Nunzio Motta
Affiliation:
[email protected], Queensland University of Technology, Centre for Built Environment and Engineering Research, Australia
John Marcus Bell
Affiliation:
[email protected], Queensland University of Technology, Centre for Built Environment and Engineering Research, Australia
Get access

Abstract

A detailed study of poly(alkylthiophene) self-assembly and organization on single-walled carbon nanotubes is presented. We show that ordered polymer domains are formed when a conjugated polymer is blended with small amounts of carbon nanotubes. By correlating the lowest energy feature in the absorption spectra of the polymer with ordering, we demonstrate that the degree of ordering in the polymer is enhanced when it is blended with carbon nanotubes. Furthermore, we elucidated the conformation of the polymer chain when it is absorbed onto the nanotube surface and imaged the high degree of ordering in the polymer/carbon nanotube complex by microscopy.

Keywords

nanostructureself-assemblyscanning probe microscopy (SPM)
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 901: Symposium R – Assembly at the Nanoscale – Toward Functional Nanostructured Materials , 2005 , 0901-Rb21-01
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 in het Panhuis, M., et al. , Selective interaction in a polymer-single-wall carbon nanotube composite. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2003. 107(2): p. 478–482.Google Scholar
2 in het Panhuis, M., Munn, R.W., and Blau, W.J., Optimal polymer characteristics for nanotube solubility. Synthetic Metals, 2001. 121(1-3): p. 1187–1188.Google Scholar
3 O'Connell, M.J., et al. , Reversible water-solubilization of single-walled carbon nanotubes by polymer wrapping. Chemical Physics Letters, 2001. 342(3-4): p. 265–271.Google Scholar
4 Alexandrou, I., Kymakis, E., and Amaratunga, G.A.J., Polymer-nanotube composites: burying nanotubes improves their field emission properties. Applied Physics Letters, 2002. 80(8): p. 1435–1437.Google Scholar
5 Cadek, M., et al. , Reinforcement of Polymers with Carbon Nanotubes: The Role of Nanotube Surface Area. Nano Letters, 2004. 4(2): p. 353–356.Google Scholar
6 Cadek, M., et al. , Effect of nanotube type on the enhancement of mechanical properties of free-standing polymer/nanotube composite films. AIP Conference Proceedings, 2003. 685(Molecular Nanostructures): p. 269–272.Google Scholar
7 Cadek, M., et al. , Morphological and mechanical properties of carbon-nanotubereinforced semicrystalline and amorphous polymer composites. Applied Physics Letters, 2002. 81(27): p. 5123–5125.Google Scholar
8 Coleman, J.N., et al. , Improving the mechanical properties of single-walled carbon nanotube sheets by intercalation of polymeric adhesives. 2003. 82(11): p. 1682–1684.Google Scholar
9 Fournet, P., et al. , A carbon nanotube composite as an electron transport layer for M3EH-PPV based light-emitting diodes. Synthetic Metals, 2001. 121(1-3): p. 1683–1684.Google Scholar
10 Kymakis, E., Alexandou, I., and Amaratunga, G.A.J., Single-walled carbon nanotubepolymer composites: electrical, optical and structural investigation. Synthetic Metals, 2002. 127(1-3): p. 59–62.Google Scholar
11 Kymakis, E., Alexandrou, I., and Amaratunga, G.A.J., High open-circuit voltage photovoltaic devices from carbon-nanotube-polymer composites. Journal of Applied Physics, 2003. 93(3): p. 1764–1768.Google Scholar
12 Kymakis, E. and Amaratunga, G.A.J., Photovoltaic cells based on dye-sensitisation of single-wall carbon nanotubes in a polymer matrix. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 2003. 80(4): p. 465–472.Google Scholar
13 Kymakis, E. and Amaratunga, G.A.J., Single-wall carbon nanotube/conjugated polymer photovoltaic devices. Applied Physics Letters, 2002. 80(1): p. 112–114.Google Scholar
14 Prosa, T.J., et al. , X-Ray Structural Studies of Poly(3-Alkylthiophenes) - an Example of an Inverse Comb. Macromolecules, 1992. 25(17): p. 4364–4372.Google Scholar
15 Sirringhaus, H., et al. , Two-dimensional charge transport in self-organized, highmobility conjugated polymers. Nature, 1999. 401: p. 685–688.Google Scholar
16 Kim, Y., et al. , Organic photovoltaic devices based on blends of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) and poly(9.9-dioctylfluorene-co-benzothiadiazole). Chemistry of Materials, 2004. 16(23): p. 4812–4818.Google Scholar
17 Chirvase, D., et al. , Influence of nanomorphology on the photovoltaic action of polymer-fullerene composites. Nanotechnology, 2004. 15(9): p. 1317–1323.Google Scholar
18 Chua, L.-L., et al. , General observation of n-type field-effect behaviour in organic semiconductors. Nature, 2005. 434(7030): p. 194–9.Google Scholar
19 Sirringhaus, H., Organic semiconductors: an equal-opportunity conductor. Nature Materials, 2003. 2(10): p. 641–642.Google Scholar
20 Kim, Y., et al. , Composition and annealing effects in polythiophene/fullerene solar cells. Journal of Materials Science, 2005. 40(6): p. 1371–1376.Google Scholar
21 Yang, S.F.F., , L. Z.; Yang, S. H. J., Langmuir-Blodgett films of poly(3-hexylthiophene) doped with the endohedral metallofullerene Dy@C-82: Preparation, characterization, and application in photoelectrochemical cells. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2004. 108(14): p. 4394–4404.Google Scholar
22 Chirvase, D.P., Hummelen, J., , J. C.; Dyakonov, V., Nanotechnology, 2004. 15: p. 1317.Google Scholar
23 Choulis, S.A., et al. , Investigation of transport properties in polymer/fullerene blends using time-of-flight photocurrent measurements. Applied Physics Letters, 2003. 83(18): p. 3812–3814.Google Scholar
24 Brown, P.J.T., , D. S.; Köhler, A.; Wilson, J. S.; Kim, J-S; Ramsdale, C. M.; Sirringhaus, H.; Friend, R. H., Phys. Rev. B, 2003. 67: p. 064203.Google Scholar
25 Tsukamoto, J. and Mata, J., Influence of Small Amounts of Dispersed Single-Walled Carbon-Nanotubes on the Optical Properties of Poly-3-hexylthiophene. Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 2004. 43(2A): p. L214–L216.Google Scholar
26 Brown, P.J., et al. , Effect of interchain interactions on the absorption and emission of poly(3-hexyl-thiophene). Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, 2003. 67(6): p. 064203/1–064203/16.Google Scholar
27 Schwartz, B.J., CONJUGATED POLYMERS AS MOLECULAR MATERIALS: How Chain Conformation and Film Morphology Influence Energy Transfer and Interchain Interactions. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY, 2003. 54: p. 141–172.Google Scholar
28 Li, G., et al. , High-efficiency solution processable polymer photovoltaic cells by selforganization of polymer blends. Nature Materials, 2005. 4(864-831): p. 01 Nov 2005.Google Scholar
29 Star, A., et al. , Preparation and Properties of Polymer-Wrapped Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed, 2001. 40(9): p. 1721–1725.Google Scholar
30 Kymakis, E. 2003, University of Cambridge.Google Scholar
31 Meier, H., Stalmach, U., and Kolshorn, H., Effective Conjugation Length and UV/vis spectra of Oligomers. Acta Polymerica, 1997. 48: p. 379–384.Google Scholar
32 Grévin, B., et al. , Multi-scale scanning tunneling microscopy imaging of selforganized regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) films. Journal of Chemical Physics, 2003. 118(15): p. 7097–7102.Google Scholar
33 Mena-Osteritz, E., et al. , Two-Dimensional Crystals of Poly(3-Alkyl-thiophene)s: Direct Visualization of Polymer Folds in Submolecular Resolution. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed, 2000. 39(15): p. 2680–2684.Google Scholar
34 Czerw, R., et al. , Organisation of Polymers onto Carbon Nanotubes: A Route to Nanoscale Assembly. Nano Letters, 2001. 1(8): p. 423–427.Google Scholar