Nanoimprint-Induced Molecular Orientation in Semiconducting Polymer Nanostructures
Citation
Hlaing, H.; Lu, X.; Hofmann, T.; Yager, K.G.; Black, C.T.; Ocko, B.M. "Nanoimprint-Induced Molecular Orientation in Semiconducting Polymer Nanostructures"
ACS Nano 2011,
5 7532–7538.
doi: 10.1021/nn202515zSummary
We study the effect on P3HT molecular orientation when OPV thin films are nano-imprinted.
Abstract
The morphology and orientation of thin films of the polymer poly-3(hexylthiophene)—important parameters influencing electronic and photovoltaic device performance—have been significantly altered through nanoimprinting with 100 nm spaced grooves. Grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering studies demonstrate the excellent fidelity of the pattern transfer, while wide-angle scattering convincingly shows an imprinting-induced ?–? reorientation and polymer backbone alignment along the imprinted grooves. Surprisingly, temperature-dependent scattering measurements indicate that the imprinted induced orientation and alignment remain intact even at temperatures where the imprinted topographical features nearly vanish.
