Comparison of conjugated polymer deposition techniques by photoluminescence spectroscopy

The effects of various deposition techniques on the photoluminescence spectra of the conjugated polymer poly[2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-(1-cyanovinylene) phenylene] (MEH-CN-PPV) are investigated. Photoluminescence spectroscopy provides insight to the internal morphology of organic thin films through the identification of interchain or intrachain recombination peaks. Thin films were deposited on glass substrates by drop casting, spin casting, and resonant-infrared matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (RIR-MAPLE) and were compared to the photoluminescence of the polymer in solution. The photoluminescence measurements reported in this article demonstrate that samples deposited by evaporative RIR-MAPLE have an internal morphology similar to that of MEH-CN-PPV in solution, leading to an enhancement of intrachain transitions in the conjugated polymer.

Duke Scholars

Author Adrienne Stiff-Roberts Electrical and Computer Engineering