title: Single nanowire OPV properties of a fullerene-capped P3HT dyad investigated using conductive and photoconductive AFM.
abstract: The effect of molecular self-assembly on nanoscale photoinduced charge generation of fullerene-capped poly(3-hexylthiophene) (PCB-c-P3HT) films and its effectiveness as a molecular additive in bulk heterojunction P3HT:[6,6]-phenyl-C(61)-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) is investigated through photoconductive atomic force microscopy. ortho-Dichlorobenzene-cast films of PCB-c-P3HT are found to form interconnected fibrous networks that show high photocurrent generation, while tetrahydrofuran-cast films show nanospheres with relatively low photocurrent generation. The nanofiber size and current generated from these nanowires are shown to vary with additions of PCBM. The PCB-c-P3HT amphiphile is shown to be a successful molecular additive in P3HT:PCBM films. These observations demonstrate how the self-assembly of PCB-c-P3HT into specific nanostructures is crucial to charge generation and transport.
authors.affiliation: Center for Polymers and Organic Solids and Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States.
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Kamkar
authors.forename: Mingfeng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Fred
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wudl
authors.forename: Thuc-Quyen
authors.initials: TQ
authors.lastname: Nguyen
mesh_terms: D004553:Electric Conductivity; D037741:Fullerenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force / Q000379:methods*; D053770:Nanowires / Q000737:chemistry*; D013876:Thiophenes / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: C539575:(6,6)-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester; D037741:Fullerenes; D013876:Thiophenes; C507295:poly(3-hexylthiophene)