Ultrafast field-induced dissociation of excitons in conjugated polymers

Transport, trapping, triplet fusion: thermally retarded exciton migration in tetracene single crystals

Efficient exciton migration is crucial for optoelectronic organic devices. While the transport of triplet excitons is generally slow compared to singlet excitons, triplet exciton migration in certain molecular semiconductors with endothermic singlet fission appears to be enhanced by a time-delayed regeneration of the more mobile singlet species via triplet fusion. This combined transport mechanism could be exploited for devices, but the interplay between singlet fission and triplet fusion, as well as the role of trap states is not yet well understood. Here, we study the spatiotemporal exciton dynamics in the singlet fission material tetracene by means of time resolved photoluminescence micro-spectroscopy on crystalline samples of different quality. Varying the temperature allows us to modify the dynamic equilibrium between singlet, triplet and trapped excitons. Supported by a kinetic model, we find that thermally activated dissociation of triplet pairs into free triplet excitons can account for an increase of the diffusion length below room temperature. Moreover, we demonstrate that trapping competes efficiently with exciton migration.

Intrachain photophysics of a donor-acceptor copolymer

By taking advantage of bulk-heterojunction structures formed by blending conjugated donor polymers and non-fullerene acceptors, organic photovoltaic devices have recently attained promising power conversion efficiencies of above 18%. For optimizing organic photovoltaic devices, it is essential to understand the elementary processes that constitute light harvesters. Utilising femtosecond-resolved spectroscopic techniques that can access the timescales of locally excited (LE) state and charge-transfer (CT)/-separated (CS) states, herein we explored their photophysics in single chains of the top-notch performance donor-acceptor polymer, PM6, which has been widely used as a donor in state-of-the-art non-fullerene organic photovoltaic devices, in a single LE state per chain regime. Our observations revealed the ultrafast formation of a CT state and its equilibrium with the parent LE state. From the chain-length dependence of their lifetimes, the equilibrated states were found to idle until they reach a chain folding. At the chain folding, the CT state transforms into an interchain CT state that bifurcates into forming a CS state or annihilation within a picosecond. The observation of prevalent nonexponential behaviour in the relaxation of the transient species is attributed to the wide chain-length distribution that determines the emergence of the chain foldings in a single chain, thus, the lifetime of a LE and equilibrated CT states. Our findings indicate that the abundance of chain folding, where the generation of the "reactive" CS state is initiated from the interchain CT state, is essential for maximising charge carriers in organic photovoltaic devices based on PM6.

Impact of π-Conjugated Linkers on the Effective Exciton Binding Energy of Diketopyrrolopyrrole-Dithienopyrrole Copolymers

The effect of the nature of the π-conjugated linker that is positioned between electron-deficient 2,5-dihydropyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione (DPP) and electron-rich dithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]pyrrole (DTP) units in alternating DPP-DTP copolymers on the optical and electrochemical band gaps and the effective exciton binding energy is investigated for six different aromatic linkers. The optical band gap is related to the electron-donating properties of DTP and the electron-withdrawing properties of DPP but likewise strongly affected by the nature of the linker and varies between 1.13 and 1.80 eV for the six different linkers. The lowest optical band gaps are found for linkers that either raise the highest occupied molecular orbital or lower the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital most, while the highest optical band gap is found for phenyl linkers that have neither strong donating nor strong accepting properties. Along with the optical band gap, the electrochemical band gap also changes, but to a lesser extent from 1.46 to 1.89 eV. The effective exciton binding energy (E b), defined as the difference between the electrochemical and optical band gaps, decreases with an increasing band gap and reaches a minimum of 0.09 eV for the copolymer with the highest band gap, that is, with phenyl linkers. The reduction in E b with an increasing band gap is tentatively explained by a reduced electronic interaction between the DTP and DPP units when the HOMO localizes on DTP and the LUMO localizes on DPP. Support for this explanation is found in the molar absorption coefficient of the copolymers, which shows an overall decreasing trend with decreasing E b.

Two-dimensional electronic Stark spectroscopy of a photosynthetic dimer

Stark spectroscopy, which measures changes in the linear absorption of a sample in the presence of an external DC electric field, is a powerful experimental tool for probing the existence of charge-transfer (CT) states in photosynthetic systems. CT states often have small transition dipole moments, making them insensitive to other spectroscopic methods, but are particularly sensitive to Stark spectroscopy due to their large permanent dipole moment. In a previous study, we demonstrated a new experimental method, two-dimensional electronic Stark spectroscopy (2DESS), which combines two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (2DES) and Stark spectroscopy. In order to understand how the presence of CT states manifest in 2DESS, here, we perform computational modeling and calculations of 2DESS as well as 2DES and Stark spectra, studying a photosynthetic dimer inspired by the photosystem II reaction center. We identify specific cases where qualitatively different sets of system parameters produce similar Stark and 2DES spectra but significantly different 2DESS spectra, showing the potential for 2DESS to aid in identifying CT states and their coupling to excitonic states.

Achieving Small Exciton Binding Energies in Small Molecule Acceptors for Organic Solar Cells: Effect of Molecular Packing

Because of strong exciton binding energy (E_b), an exciton dissociation process and extra energy losses are present in organic solar cells relative to inorganic and perovskite solar cells. Here, we calculated the E_b of a series of small molecule acceptors in solid crystals by a self-consistent quantum mechanics/embedded charge approach. The results show that the E_b values are substantially reduced from the gas phase to solid state because of electronic polarization (mainly from the induction effect of charges). Moreover, in contrast to little changes in the gas phase, the E_b in the solid state can vary significantly, indicating an important molecular packing effect. Remarkably, an extremely weak E_b of 0.04 eV is achieved in a three-dimensional packing crystal, which is comparable to the E_b of organo-lead trihalide perovskites. This work underlines the importance of three-dimensional molecular packing for achieving small E_b and will be helpful in reducing energy losses in organic solar cells.

Fluorescence enhancement induced by quadratic electric-field effects on singlet exciton dynamics in poly(3-hexylthiophene) dispersed in poly(methyl methacrylate)

The dynamics of the exciton generated by photoexcitation of a regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) polymer dispersed in a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix was examined using electro-photoluminescence (E-PL) spectroscopy, where electric field effects on the photoluminescence (PL) spectra were measured. The quadratic electric-field effect was investigated using the modulation technique, with field-induced changes in the PL intensity monitored at the second harmonic of the modulation frequency of the applied electric field. Absorption and PL spectra indicated the formation of both ordered crystalline aggregates and amorphous regions of P3HT polymer chains. Although previous studies of electric field effects on π-conjugated polymers have generally shown that the PL intensity is decreased by electric fields, we report that the PL intensity of P3HT and PL lifetime increased with the quadratic electric-field effect. The magnitude of the change in PL intensity was quantitatively explained in terms of the field-induced decrease in the nonradiative decay rate constants of the exciton. We proposed that a delayed PL, originating from charge carrier recombination, was enhanced in the presence of electric fields. The rate constant of the downhill relaxation process of the exciton, which originated from the relaxation in distributed energy levels due to an inherent energetic disorder in P3HT aggregates, was implied to decrease in the presence of electric fields. The radiative decay rate constant and PL quantum yield of P3HT dissolved in solution, which were evaluated from the molar extinction coefficient and the PL lifetime, were compared with those of P3HT dispersed in a PMMA matrix.

Ultrafast polaron-pair dynamics in a poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) device influenced by a static electric field: insights into electric-field-related charge loss

Photogenerated polaron-pair ultrafast dynamics in poly(3-hexylthiophene)-based devices are found to be influenced by external electric fields via delayed field-induced singlet exciton dissociation, yielding a bimolecular decay contribution.

Polymeric Materials for Conversion of Electromagnetic Waves from the Sun to Electric Power

Solar photoelectric energy converted into electricity requires large surface areas with incident light and flexible materials to capture these light emissions. Currently, sunlight rays are converted to electrical energy using silicon polymeric material with efficiency up to 22%. The majority of the energy is lost during conversion due to an energy gap between sunlight photons and polymer energy transformation. This energy conversion also depends on the morphology of present polymeric materials. Therefore, it is very important to construct mechanisms of highest energy occupied molecular orbitals (HOMO)s and the lowest energy unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMO)s to increase the efficiency of conversion. The organic and inorganic solar cells used as dyes can absorb more photons from sunlight and the energy gap will be less for better conversion of energy to electricity than the conventional solar cells. This paper provides an up-to-date review on the performance, characterization, and reliability of different composite polymeric materials for energy conversion. Specific attention has been given to organic solar cells because of their several advantages over others, such as their low-energy payback time, conversion efficiency and greenhouse emissions. Finally, this paper provides the recent progress on the application of both organic and inorganic solar cells for electric power generations together with several challenges that are currently faced.

Two-Dimensional Electronic Stark Spectroscopy

Characterizing ultrafast energy and charge transfer is important for understanding a wide range of systems, from natural photosynthetic complexes to organic photovoltaics. Distinguishing the kinetic processes of energy transfer and charge separation in such systems is challenging due to the lack of clear spectral signatures of charge transfer states, which are typically nonradiative. Stark spectroscopy has proven to be a valuable method for uncovering charge transfer states. Here we extend the dimensionality of Stark spectroscopy to perform two-dimensional electronic Stark spectroscopy. We demonstrate the method on TIPS-pentacene in 3-methylpentane at 77 K. The additional frequency dimension of two-dimensional Stark spectroscopy promises to enable the identification of charge transfer states, their coupling to other charge transfer and exciton states, and their involvement in charge separation processes.

Charge-Carrier Dynamics in Organic-Inorganic Metal Halide Perovskites

Hybrid organic-inorganic metal halide perovskites have recently emerged as exciting new light-harvesting and charge-transporting materials for efficient photovoltaic devices. Yet knowledge of the nature of the photogenerated excitations and their subsequent dynamics is only just emerging. This article reviews the current state of the field, focusing first on a description of the crystal and electronic band structure that give rise to the strong optical transitions that enable light harvesting. An overview is presented of the numerous experimental approaches toward determining values for exciton binding energies, which appear to be small (a few milli-electron volts to a few tens of milli-electron volts) and depend significantly on temperature because of associated changes in the dielectric function. Experimental evidence for charge-carrier relaxation dynamics within the first few picoseconds after excitation is discussed in terms of thermalization, cooling, and many-body effects. Charge-carrier recombination mechanisms are reviewed, encompassing trap-assisted nonradiative recombination that is highly specific to processing conditions, radiative bimolecular (electron-hole) recombination, and nonradiative many-body (Auger) mechanisms.

Excitons in poly(para phenylene vinylene): a quantum-chemical perspective based on high-level ab initio calculations

Exciton analyses of high-level quantum-chemical computations for poly(paraphenylene vinylene) reveal the nature of the excitonic bands in PPV oligomers.

Correlated charge carrier-like photoresponse of polymer nanowires

Size confinement at nanometer length scales gives rise to many new and tunable properties of organic materials that are absent in their bulk state. Here we report, the appearance of large photoconduction property of a conducting polymer when it forms nanowires. The photoresponse and the external photoconductive gain were found to be >10(5) % and >200%, respectively, even at low bias (<1 V) voltage. These nanowires show a resistance switching transition at low temperature above a threshold bias, and below this transition, the resistance changes by more than 3 orders of magnitude under illumination of light. The photoresponse increases superlinearly and the resistance switching threshold voltage decreases with increasing illumination intensity. These properties are absent in the bulk polymer, and the observed photoresponse is not bolometric or excitonic in nature, nor it can be explained by free carrier generation or Schöttky barrier modulation, rather it is consistent with the photoexcitation of correlated charge carriers.

Spectroscopic properties, excitation, and electron transfer in an anionic water-soluble poly(fluorene-alt-phenylene)-perylenediimide copolymer

An anionic fluorene-phenylene poly{1,4-phenylene-[9,9-bis(4-phenoxy-butylsulfonate)]fluorene-2,7-diyl}-based copolymer containing on-chain perylenediimine (PDI) chromophoric units, PBS-PFP-PDI, was synthesized and its photophysical properties studied as aggregates and isolated chains in water and dioxane/water (1:1) solution. UV-vis and emission spectroscopy measurements, time-correlated single photon counting, and wide field imaging have been employed to investigate the excited-state behavior of the PBS-PFP-PDI copolymer, including the effect of environment on the energy and electron transfer to the on-chain PDI chromophore. Although the Förster overlap integral is favorable, no evidence is found for intramolecular singlet excitation energy transfer in isolated copolymer chains in solution. Fluorescence is suggested to involve an interchain process, thus revealing that isolated copolymer chains in solution do not undergo efficient intramolecular energy transfer. However, quenching of the PBS-PFP excited state by PDI is observed in aqueous media and ultrafast pump-probe studies in water or dioxane-water solutions show that electron transfer occurs from the phenylene-fluorene units to the PDI. The extent of electron transfer increases with aggregation, suggesting it is largely an interchain process. The interaction of the negatively charged PBS-PFP-PDI copolymer with the positively charged surfactant hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) in solution has also been studied. The copolymer PBS-PFP-PDI aggregates with the surfactant already at concentrations below the critical micelle concentration (cmc) and the nonpolar environment allows intermolecular energy transfer, observed by the weak emission band located at 630 nm that is associated with the emission of the PDI chromophore. However, the fact that the PDI photoluminescence (PL) lifetime (~1.4 ns) obtained in the presence of CTAB is considerably shorter than that of the nonaggregated chromophore (~5.4 ns) suggests that even in this case there is considerable PL quenching, possibly through some charge transfer route. The increase of the PBS-PFP-PDI photoluminescence intensity at surfactant concentrations above the cmc indicates deaggregation of polyelectrolyte within the initially formed polyelectrolyte-surfactant aggregates.

Photophysics and dynamics of surface plasmon polaritons-mediated energy transfer in the presence of an applied electric field

The possibility to transfer energy between molecular excitons across a metal film up to 150 nm thick represents a very attractive solution to control and improve the performances of thin optoeletronic devices. This process involves the presence of coupled surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) at the two dielectric-metal interfaces, capable of mediating the interactions between donor and acceptor, located on opposite sides of the metal film. In this Article, the photophysics and the dynamics of an efficient SPP-mediated energy transfer between a suitable dye and a conjugated polymer is characterized by means of steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence techniques. The process is studied in model multilayer structures (donor/metal/acceptor) as well as in electrically pumped heterostructures (donor/metal cathode/acceptor/anode), to verify the effects of applied electric fields on the efficiency and the dynamics of SPP-mediated energy transfer. A striking enhancement of the overall luminescence was recorded in a particular range of applied bias, suggesting the presence of cooperative effects between optical and electrical stimulations.

Pump-probe spectroscopy in organic semiconductors: monitoring fundamental processes of relevance in optoelectronics

In this review we highlight the contribution of pump-probe spectroscopy to understand elementary processes taking place in organic based optoelectronic devices. The techniques described in this article span from conventional pump-probe spectroscopy to electromodulated pump-probe and the state-of-the-art confocal pump-probe microscopy. The article is structured according to three fundamental processes (optical gain, charge photogeneration and charge transport) and the contribution of these techniques on them. The combination of these tools opens up new perspectives for assessing the role of short-lived excited states on processes lying underneath organic device operation.

Reduced charge transfer exciton recombination in organic semiconductor heterojunctions by molecular doping

We investigate the effect of molecular doping on the recombination of electrons and holes localized at conjugated-polymer-fullerene interfaces. We demonstrate that a low concentration of p-type dopant molecules (<4% weight) reduces the interfacial recombination via charge transfer excitons and results in a favored formation of separated carriers. This is observed by the ultrafast quenching of photoluminescence from charge transfer excitons and the increase in photoinduced polaron density by ~70%. The results are consistent with a reduced formation of emissive charge transfer excitons, induced by state filling of tail states.

Charge separation in semicrystalline polymeric semiconductors by photoexcitation: is the mechanism intrinsic or extrinsic?

We probe charge photogeneration and subsequent recombination dynamics in neat regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) films over six decades in time by means of time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. Exciton dissociation at 10 K occurs extrinsically at interfaces between molecularly ordered and disordered domains. Polaron pairs thus produced recombine by tunneling with distributed rates governed by the distribution of electron-hole radii. Quantum-chemical calculations suggest that hot-exciton dissociation at such interfaces results from a high charge-transfer character.

Forbidden singlet exciton transitions induced by localization in polymer light-emitting diodes in a strong electric field

Through combining the electron transition process and dipole moment evolution as well as electron-phonon coupling, molecular dynamics calculations show that the radiative decay of singlet excitons in a conjugated polymer, such as a polymer light-emitting diode (PLED), is largely determined by the evolution of the dipole moment. Without an electric field, the decay life of a singlet exciton is about 1 ns. Once an electric field is applied and exceeds a critical value, with electron-phonon coupling, the original lattice structure evolves into two new localized lattice distortions, consistent with the experimental results. Owing to the new lattice structure and self-trapping, the dipole moment rapidly decreases to zero within 5 fs, eliminating the radiative decay of the singlet exciton.

Organic photovoltaics: principles and techniques for nanometre scale characterization

The photoconversion efficiency of state-of-the-art organic solar cells has experienced a remarkable increase in the last few years, with reported certified efficiency values of up to 8.3%. This increase has been due to an improved understanding of the underlying physics, synthetic discovery and the realization of the pivotal role that morphological optimization plays. Advances in nanometre scale characterization have underpinned all three factors. Here we give an overview of the current understanding of the fundamental processes in organic photovoltaic devices, on optimization considerations and on recent developments in nanometre scale measuring techniques. Finally, recommendations for future developments from the perspective of characterization techniques are set forth.

Electric-field-induced fluorescence quenching in polyfluorene, ladder-type polymers, and MEH-PPV: evidence for field effects on internal conversion rates in the low concentration limit

Electric field-induced fluorescence quenching has been measured for a series of conjugated polymers with applications in organic light-emitting diodes. Electrofluorescence measurements on isolated chains in a glassy matrix at 77 K show that the quenching efficiency for poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-p-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) is an order of magnitude larger than that for either a ladder-type polymer (MeLPPP) or polyfluorene (PFH). This effect is explained in terms of the relatively high probability of field-enhanced internal conversion deactivation in MEH-PPV relative to either MeLPPP or PFH. These data, obtained under dilute sample conditions such that chain-chain interactions are minimal, are contrasted with the much higher quenching efficiencies observed in the corresponding polymer films, and several explanations for the differences are considered. In addition, the values of the change in dipole moment and change in polarizability on excitation (|Δμ| and tr(Δα), respectively) are reported, and trends in these values as a function of molecular structure and chain length are discussed.

Exact solution for hopping dissociation of geminate electron-hole pairs in a disordered chain

A universal theoretical description of the dissociation problem for electron-hole pair on a one-dimensional chain in the hopping regime is proposed. Widely used results of Frenkel and Onsager theories are obtained as particular cases of the general solution. The application of the analytical theory to disordered chains shows that disorder enhances dissociation of geminate electron-hole pairs at low electric fields and suppresses at high fields.

Interchain coupling effects on dynamics of photoexcitations in conjugated polymers

Within an extended Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model including interchain interactions and the extended Hubbard model, the dynamical relaxation of photoexcitations in two coupled conjugated polymer chains is investigated by using a nonadiabatic evolution method. Initially, one of the two chains is photoexcited and the other chain is in the dimerized ground state. Due to the interchain interactions, the electron and/or the hole can be transferred from one chain to the other chain. For weak interchain coupling, the dynamical evolution of the lattice on the photoexcited chain is similar to that found in an isolate single chain case. With interchain interactions increasing, the amplitude of the distortions on the photoexcited chain decreases, and simultaneously, that on the other chain gradually increases. Until stronger interchain coupling, the deformations of the two chains have almost the same amplitude. Besides intrachain polaron-excitons and intrachain oppositely charged polaron pairs as found in single chain case, interchain polaron-excitons and interchain separated charged polaron pairs are obtained. The results show that the yield of interchain products increases and that of intrachain products decreases with interchain coupling increasing. Totally, the yield of charged polarons (including intrachain oppositely charged polaron pairs and interchain oppositely charged polaron pairs) is about 25%, in good agreement with results from experiments.

Excited State and Charge Photogeneration Dynamics in Conjugated Polymers

Conjugated polymers are becoming interesting materials for a range of optoelectronic applications. However, their often complex electronic and structural properties prevent establishment of straightforward property-function relationships. In this paper, we summarize recent results on the photophysics and excited state dynamics of conjugated polymers, in order to paint a picture of exciton formation, quenching, and generation of charge carriers.

Electric-Field-Induced Spin Accumulation in Polymer Light-Emitting Diodes

An electric-field-induced spin accumulation phenomenon is presented for electroluminescent conjugated polymers as light-emitting diodes (LEDs). When an electric field is applied along a polymer chain and exceeds a critical value, it quenches the luminescence and dissociates the singlet exciton into two carriers with opposite spin signs. Simultaneously, the field drives these two opposite spin carriers to move in opposite directions, leading to spin accumulation at the two ends of the organic material LED, which can be detected through Kerr rotation microscopy.

Host Matrix Dependent Fluorescence Intensity Modulation by an Electric Field in Single Conjugated Polymer Chains

An electric field oscillating at a frequency approximately 1 Hz is found to induce strong modulation of the fluorescence intensity of single poly[2-methoxy,5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-p-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) molecules (MW approximately 10(6)) embedded in a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix. The MEH-PPV polymer chains are carefully isolated from the electrodes to avoid effects of injection. In a polystyrene matrix, fluorescence intensity modulations are on average much less pronounced. The difference in average modulation depth can be explained in terms of lower field-induced exciton dissociation rates in the MEH-PPV/polystyrene system compared to MEH-PPV/PMMA because of a lack of suitable acceptor sites. The observed electric field dependence of single-molecule fluorescence strongly suggests that energy transfer from singlet or even triplet excitons to long-living on-chain hole polarons contributes to the observed modulations. The observed large qualitative differences between the responses of different molecules probably reflect differences in chain topology and strongly anisotropic distributions of acceptor sites, while the hysteretic response of some molecules indicates conformational switching.

Singlet−Triplet Splittings and Their Relevance to the Spin-Dependent Exciton Formation in Light-Emitting Polymers: An EOM/CCSD Study

By employing the coupled-cluster equation of motion method (EOM/CCSD) for excited-state structures, we have investigated the structure dependence of the singlet and triplet exciton splittings, through extensive calculations for polythiophene (PT), poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), poly(thienylenevinylene) (PTV), polyparaphenylene vinylene (PPV), MEHPPV, polyparaphenylene ethylene (PPE), polyfluorene (PFO), and ladder-type polyparaphenylene (mLPPP). The results for the polymer are extrapolated through computations for the oligomers with increasing length. Recent investigations have been quite controversial about whether the internal quantum efficiency of electroluminescence could be higher than the 25% spin statistics limit or not in polymeric materials. Using a simple relationship between the exciton formation rate and the excitation energy level, we have discussed the material-dependent ratios of singlet and triplet exciton formation, which are in good agreement with the magnetic-field resonance detected transient spectroscopy measurement by Wohlgenannt et al. for a series of electronic polymers. This provides another piece of evidence to support the view that the internal quantum efficiency for conjugated polymers can exceed the 25% limit.

Electrofluorescence of MEH-PPV and Its Oligomers: Evidence for Field-Induced Fluorescence Quenching of Single Chains

Electrofluorescence (Stark) spectroscopy has been used to measure the trace of the change in polarizability (trDeltaalpha) and the absolute value of the change in dipole moment (|Deltamu|) of the electroluminescent polymer poly[2-methoxy,5-(2'-ethyl-hexoxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) and several model oligomers in solvent glass matrixes. From electrofluorescence, the measured values of trDeltaalpha increase from 500 +/- 60 A(3) in OPPV-5 to 2000 +/- 200 A(3) in MEH-PPV. The good agreement found between these values and those measured by electroabsorption suggests the electronic properties do not differ strongly between absorption and emission, in contrast to earlier predictions. Evidence of electric-field-induced fluorescence quenching of MEH-PPV in dilute solvent glasses was found. When normalized to the square of the applied electric field, the magnitude of quench is comparable to that reported in the literature for thin films of MEH-PPV. In addition, fluorescence quenching was also observed in the oligomers with a magnitude that increases with increasing chain length. By using the values of trDeltaalpha measured by electrofluorescence, a model is developed to qualitatively explain the chain length dependence to the fluorescence quench observed in the oligomers as a function of exciton delocalization along the oligomer backbone. Various explanations for the origin of this quenching behavior and its chain length dependence are considered.

How single conjugated polymer molecules respond to electric fields

Conjugated polymers find applications in a range of devices such as light-emitting diodes, field-effect transistors and solar cells. The elementary electronic response of these semiconductors to electric fields is understood in terms of nanoscale perturbations of charge density. We demonstrate a general breaking of spatial charge symmetry by considering the linear Stark effect in the emission of single chromophores on individual chains. Spectral shifts of several nanometres occur due to effective dipoles exceeding 10 D. Although the electric field does not ionize the exciton, some molecules exhibit field-induced intensity modulations. This quenching illustrates the equivalence of charge symmetry breaking and polaron-pair or charge-transfer-state formation, and provides a microscopic picture of permanent charging, which leads to doping and exciton dissociation in actual devices. In addition to using this tuneable emission in single-photon electro-optic modulators, hysteresis in the Stark shift suggests a route to designing nanoscale memory elements such as molecular switches.

Dynamics of photogenerated polarons in conjugated polymers

Within a tight-binding electron-phonon interacting model, we investigate the dynamics of photoexcitations to address the generation mechanism of charged polarons in conjugated polymers by using a nonadiabatic evolution method. Besides the neutral polaron exciton which is well known, we identify a novel product of lattice dynamic relaxation from the photoexcited states in a few hundreds of femtoseconds, which is a mixed state composed of both charged polarons and neutral excitons. Our results show that the charged polarons are generated directly with a yield of about 25%, which is independent of the excitation energies, in good agreement with results from experiments. Effects of the conjugation length are also discussed.

Charge and energy dynamics in photo-excited poly(para-phenylenevinylene) systems

We report results from simulations of charge and energy dynamics in poly(para-phenylenevinylene) (PPV) and PPV interacting with C60. The simulations were performed by solving the time-dependent Schrodinger equation and the lattice equation of motion simultaneously and nonadiabatically. The electronic system and the coupling of the electrons to the lattice were described by an extended three-dimensional version of the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model, which also included an external electric field. Electron and lattice dynamics following electronic excitations at different energies have been simulated. The effect of additional lattice energy was also included in the simulations. Our results show that both exciton diffusion and transitions from high to lower lying excitations are stimulated by increasing the lattice energy. Also field induced charge separation occurs faster if the lattice energy is increased. This separation process is highly nonadiabatic and involves a significant rearrangement of the electron distribution. In the case of PPV coupled to C60, we observe a spontaneous charge separation. The separation time is in this case limited by the local concentration of C60 molecules close to the PPV chain.