1. Interaction and energy transfer between single wall carbon nanotubes and a straight chain conjugated polymer in solution
Christopher J. Collison, Department of Chemistry, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623 1. 2. 3.
We have determined a physical interaction between a well-studied conjugated polymer, MEH-PPV, and small diameter single-wall carbon nanotubes (CoMoCat) based on the growth of a new spectral feature in optical absorbance data (N,N-dimethylacetamide as solvent).
The nanotubes substantially quench the fluorescence of the polymers, which also shifts spectrally as a result of induced conformational changes.
As a consequence, fluorescence of SWNT is enhanced through energy transfer. Hence we are investigating the electronic interactions between individual nanotube chiralities and polymer so as to better understand the impact of SWNT usage in bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells.
Fluorescence quenching data indicates the equilibrium constant governing surface coverage of SWCNTs is dependent upon solvent, chemical nature of the polymer and concentration of polymer. The fluorescence quenching mechanism has been quantified and is being validated.