Poly(3-alkylthiophene) nanofibers for optoelectronic applications: the case of poly(3-hexylthiophene) nanofiber phototransistors

Abstract

The goal of this work was to boost OPT performance by incorporating preformed P36T nanofibers in the active OPT layer, eliminating the need of any post-production (thermal or solvent) or substrate surface treatment. A detailed review of the state-of-the-art nanofiber production methods available to date was given in chapter 2. All solution selfassembly approaches mentioned in this chapter take advantage of the strong π-π stacking interactions between the polymer chains to grow P3AT nanofibers with high hole mobility, originating from the π-π stacking direction and hence the hole delocalization along the nanofiber longitudinal axis. Furthermore, fiber formation in solution, prior to deposition, enables the polymer chains to obtain their lowest energy conformation, such that the nanofibers end up with a fully relaxed and therefore intrinsically stable internal structure. Although the production process is influenced by many different parameters, some very reliable fiber fabrication methods are available to date....