Photophysics and photostability of metal oxide induced conjugated polymer based hybrid nanocomposites

Abstract

Hybrid nanocomposite polymers play a vital role in the development of electronic devices, chemical and electronic sensors, batteries, organic transistors, organic solar cells, and displays based on organic electroluminescent materials. Generally, polymeric materials possess unique properties such as being lightweight, high flexibility, and easy processing. However, they suffer from poor conductivity and stability. It is well known that the physical and chemical properties of a polymer can be altered by the incorporation of a suitable inorganic material, which has a significant effect on their optical, thermal, electrical properties and stability because inorganic materials have high conductivity, high electron affinity, improved stability and high thermal properties. Thus this thesis is focused on developing hybrid nanocomposites that create solution-processable nanostructured inorganic materials with high interfacial interactions with the polymer for various organic-electronic applications. newlineAmong the conjugated polymers, Poly (2-methoxy-5(2 -ethylhexyloxy)-p-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) has been recognized as an excellent organic semiconductor and high luminescent properties. Since MEH-PPV has asymmetric alkoxy side chains, most organic solvents are soluble in them, making processing for device applications simple. However, MEH-PPV has higher hole mobility and is highly sensitive to ambient conditions which obstruct the efficient usage of this polymer in optoelectronics. Therefore, this research work aims at combining MEH-PPV with n-type nanoparticles to produce stable hybrid nanocomposites with improved performance characteristics. Studies on metal oxide incorporated MEH-PPV are important for determining and controlling the photophysical characteristics and stability of different MEH-PPV nanocomposites. newline