A method to obtain poly(2,5-dicyano-p-phenylenevinylene)-co-(p-phenylene-vinylene) (DCN-PPV/PPV) block copolymer was developed. The structural characteristics of the copolymer and its capability to generate a photocurrent were evaluated. IR spectra indicate the complete conversion of precursor copolymer into DCN-PPV/PPV at 250°C under lowpressure conditions. The DCN-PPV/PPV polymer optical band gap was determined based on the observed UV-Vis spectral data by using Tauc's equation. The two linear regions in the Tauc curve (E g = 2.63 eVand 2.02) revealed the formation of a block copolymer. Thermal analysis showed that DCN-PPV/PPV has a higher stability than PPV and starts to degrade at 317°C in air. The electronic parameters of DCN-PPV/PPV (IP = 5.25 eV, EA = 3.30 eV, and E g = 1.95 eV) indicate that the cyano groups reduce the LUMO energy level without affecting the HOMO energy by much. DCN-PPV/PPV photoactivity measurements show higher photocurrent values compared to those for PPV.

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