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The effect of alkyl side-chain length on the photophysical, morphology and photoresponse properties of poly (3-alkylthiophene) (P3AT) has been investigated. Butyl, hexyl, octyl, decyl, and dodecyl side chains have been studied. In solution state, the average lifetime of poly (3-octylthiophene) (P3OT) is the shortest among P3AT solution owing to the strong intrachain interaction. The fluorescence lifetime of P3AT solution increases with the side-chain length increasing. A similar trend occurs in the P3AT films. This phenomenon illustrates conformation ‘memory’ property evolving from solution state to solid film. The four lifetimes represent different photophysical processes and have been systematically analyzed. The photodetector based on P3DDT is a suitable candidate for practical application owing to the fast, reversible photoresponse and photostability. The high performance of P3DDT-based photodetector is correlated to the optimized morphology and strong interchain interaction which promotes the exciton delocalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of small amounts of carboxylic multi-walled carbon nanotubes into regio-regular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) can vary the structure and optical properties of the polymer. The microstructure of the composite film was analysed by various techniques including x-ray diffraction, ultraviolet–visible optical absorption, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. It is shown that the presence of carbon nanotubes can improve the crystallinity and increase the conjugation length of P3HT in the films. Furthermore, an obvious photoluminescence quenching is observed in the P3HT/CNTs composite films, suggesting the possibility of photoinduced electron transfer between P3HT and carbon nanotubes due to the π–π interaction of these two components. These results are important for applications in bulk heterojunction solar cells and organic photo-detectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]