title: Synthesis and Characterization of Nanocomposites Based on Functional Regioregular Poly(3-hexylthiophene) and Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes.
abstract: New functionalized poly(3-hexylthiophene)s (P3HT) have been designed and synthesized with the aim of increasing the dispersion of carbon nanotubes (CNT) in solutions and in thin films of semiconducting polymers. Dispersion in solution has been assessed by sedimentation tests while the thin film morphology has been analyzed by TEM and AFM. Both the physisorption of P3HT chains (via pyrene end-groups) or their chemical grafting (onto amine functions generated on the CNT surface) lead to a much better dispersion in solution and in the solid. In thin films, P3HT fibrils are observed to arrange perpendicular to the CNT surface, which can be understood on the basis of molecular modeling simulations. Finally, the effect of dispersing those P3HT/CNT nanocomposites in bulk-heterojunction P3HT-based photovoltaic devices has been evaluated.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Polymeric and Composite Materials Center for Innovation and Research in Materials and Polymers; Laboratory for Chemistry of Novel Materials Center for Innovation and Research in Materials and Polymers all at University of Mons-UMONS/Materia Nova, 20 Place du Parc, B-7000 Mons (Belgium).
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Boon
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Desbief
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cutaia
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Douhéret
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Minoia
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ruelle
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Clément
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Coulembier
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cornil
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dubois
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lazzaroni