Stepwise Self‐Assembly of P3HT/CdSe Hybrid Nanowires with Enhanced Photoconductivity

Abstract

A facile approach to prepare poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT)/cadmium selenide quantum dot (CdSe QD) hybrid coaxial nanowires by a stepwise self-assembly process is reported. P3HT nanowires of ≈20 nm diameter are first prepared by self-assembly in a poor solvent such as cyclohexanone, and then as-prepared CdSe QDs are deposited compactly onto the P3HT nanowires by non-covalent interactions between P3HT and CdSe. When illuminated with white light, the hybrid nanowires show enhanced photoconductivity compared with the pristine P3HT nanowires and the blended nanocomposites.

Effect of TBPO-capped CdSe nanoparticles concentration on sub-bandgap absorption in poly(3-hexylthiophene) thin films studied by photothermal deflection spectroscopy

“…In meanwhile the redshift may be explained by the formation of charge transfer states in P3HT:TBPO-capped CdSe nanocomposites which infer in partial electron transfer from P3HT to TBPO-capped CdSe [48]. However the increase of TBPO-capped CdSe content to 60% leads to higher bandgap energy compared to the pristine P3HT which mainly related to the reduction of the interface area between organic and inorganic components.…”

Interfacial Crystallization‐Driven Assembly of Conjugated Polymers/Quantum Dots into Coaxial Hybrid Nanowires: Elucidation of Conjugated Polymer Arrangements by Electron Tomography

“…When using the solution-biphase method, the subsequent crystallization of P3HT occurred gradually through the continuous diffusion of acetonitrile into the P3HT-containing chloroform solution, resulting in the micrometer-long NW-branched nanostructures. Considering the formation of randomly QDs-attached NWs, we suggest that the coordination interaction between the sulfur atom of P3HT and the surface of the QDs could lead to the co-organization of both components, [ 32 ] in addition to the solvophobic interaction between the aliphatic chains on the QDs and the hexyl side chains that induced by addition of acetonitrile into chloroform. Although coaxial p-n hybrid NWs did not form, these results imply that the solvent diffusion-controlled crystallization growth of CPs by the solution-biphase method can provide well-defi ned nanoaggregates without any precipitates even when a nonsolvent is used.…”

Morphology Control in Biphasic Hybrid Systems of Semiconducting Materials

“…A uniform distribution of tri‐ n ‐octylphosphine oxide (TOPO)‐capped CdSe NCs in poly(3‐hexylthiophene‐2,5‐diyl) (P3HT) can be achieved by self‐assembly of these NCs on preformed regioregular P3HT (rr‐P3HT) nanowires for example. Such nanowires can be obtained through slow precipitation from solvents such as p ‐xylene or cyclohexane, which are poor solvents for P3HT at room temperature but good solvents at elevated temperatures . Another very prominent approach first reported by Greenham et al uses ligand exchange of the initially strongly bound surfactants (e.g.…”