Robust polythiophene nanowires cross-linked with functional fullerenes

Abstract

Poly(3-hexyl thiophene) (P3HT)-block-poly(3-(3-aminopropyl)oxymethyl thiophene) (P3AmT) diblock copolymers were synthesized and assembled into nanowires by solvent-induced crystallization. Bis(4-[1,6-hexyldiisocyanate]benzylpyrrolidine)-C₆₀ was synthesized and used to covalently cross-link the structures, affording robust p-type/n-type nanowires. These cross-linked nanowires proved stable to solvents and temperatures that would disrupt conventional P3HT-nanowires, as characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. Photoluminescence spectroscopy showed quenching of the PL signal of the fullerene-crosslinked material, suggesting electronic communication between the polymer and fullerene in these novel donor/acceptor assemblies. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) showed a similar crystal structure for nanowires before and after cross-linking, while field effect transistor transfer measurements of the cross-linked nanowires showed hole and electron mobilities of 3.5 × 10⁻⁵ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and 4.6 × 10⁻⁵ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively.