Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
Conductive nanofibers with the average diameters in the range of 60 nm - 2 μm were fabricated by electrospinning of a mixture of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in a mixed solvent of chlorobenzene and methanol. Beaded fibers and/or uniform, smooth-surface fibers were successfully fabricated. The average diameter of the as-spun fibers decreased and the color of as-spun fibers changed with decreasing the concentration of P3HT or PVP. After the removal of PVP from as-spun fibers by Soxhlet extraction, pure P3HT fibers were obtained as a spindle-like with groove-like morphological appearance which may be widely applicable for some specific applications, such as photovoltaic cells, thin film transistors, and light emitting diodes.