Bastianini, F., Pérez, G.E. orcid.org/0000-0003-3150-8467, Hobson, A.R. et al. (5 more authors) (2019) In−situ monitoring Poly(3-hexylthiophene) nanowire formation and shape evolution in solution via small angle neutron scattering. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 202. ISSN 0927-0248
Abstract
The crystallization of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) to form nanowires has attracted considerable interest because this process significantly increases the hole mobility when compared to amorphous P3HT, leading to improved performance in photovoltaic and other organic electronic devices. However, full characterization of the crystallization self-assembly of the polymer chains in solution has not been achieved yet, due to limited use of not destructive techniques. Here, we investigate the ageing-driven formation and evolution of regioregular (rr) P3HT nanostructures in chlorobenzene solution using small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and UV–Vis spectroscopy. We have monitored how the shape of the rr-P3HT aggregates evolves. The initial states for rr-P3HT chains are the random coils, which straighten to form rods. These subsequently π - π stack to form 2D lamellae, which further stack to create nanowires. The formation of nanowires is promoted both by the length of ageing and by low temperatures (). Temperatures above reverse the formation of nanowires. Additionally, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and grazing incidence wide angle x-ray scattering (GIWAXS) reveal that the nanowires can be successfully aligned during deposition by off-axis spin coating. Finally, the anisotropic conductivity of the aligned rr-P3HT nanowire films is reported. This is significant for applications such as gas sensing or organic thin film transistors, where increased conductivity and controlled nanostructure are desirable.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 Elsevier. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. Article available under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
Keywords: | P3HT; Conjugated polymer; Nanowires; Small angle neutron scattering SANS; Solution ageing; Alignment |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (Sheffield) The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Physics and Astronomy (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) EP/I028641/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 03 Sep 2019 13:36 |
Last Modified: | 23 Aug 2020 00:38 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.solmat.2019.110128 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:150316 |
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Licence: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0