Photoexcitation dynamics in thin films of insulated molecular wires

• Published in: Applied physics letters Vol. 89; no. 23; pp. 232110 - 232110-3
• Main Authors: Chang, M. H., Frampton, M. J., Anderson, H. L., Herz, L. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Institute of Physics 04-12-2006
• ISSN: 0003-6951; 1077-3118
• DOI: 10.1063/1.2398914

A study is presented on how encapsulation of conjugated polymer chains affects the motion of photoexcitations and the formation of interchain aggregates in solid films. It is shown that threading of a poly(diphenylene vinylene) backbone inside insulating cyclodextrins (rotaxination) and/or complexation of the chains with poly(ethylene oxide) are effective means of preventing the diffusion of excitons to nonradiative defect sites. Ultrafast time-resolved photoluminescence data reveal that excitation transfer between encapsulated chains is still possible and, for the case of rotaxination, is likely to be facilitated through close packing of end groups belonging to adjacent chains.