Effects of single-walled carbon nanotubes on the optical and photo-conductive properties of their composite films with regio-regular poly(3-hexylthiophene)

The effect of a small admixture of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) HiPCO (high pressure carbon monoxide) (from 0.5 to 2 wt%) on the supramolecular structure in regio-regular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (RR-P3HT) thin films is studied and their optical and photoconductivity properties are investigated. It is demonstrated that the presence of such small amounts of nanotubes improves the structural organization in the films as evidenced by X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. This is confirmed by UV–visible optical absorption investigations which clearly show a better conjugation of P3HT in the presence of nanotubes. In Raman spectra of composites, changes in intensities and frequencies of the radial breathing modes are observed upon addition of nanotubes. This can be rationalized by a modification of the resonance conditions caused by a selective dispersion and wrapping of SWNTs via π-interaction (π-stacking). As a consequence of these interactions, a dramatic photoluminescence (PL) quenching is observed which becomes more and more pronounced with increasing the nanotube content. This implies a fast photo-induced electron transfer favoured by a large area of the SWNTs/P3HT interface and strong interactions between these two components. An increase in the composite photocurrent by at least one-order of magnitude, as compared to the case of pure P3HT film, is the most pronounced effect of this electron transfer. These two effects are of crucial importance for the application of the investigated composites in bulk hetero-junction photovoltaic cells (BHJPCs) and organic photo-detectors (OPDs).