Conjugated polymer-based photonic nanostructures

Abstract

Conjugated polymer materials are at the forefront of many next-generation organic optoelectronic technologies including organic light-emitting diodes, photovoltaics and lasers. The photophysical properties of these materials can be controlled and optimized through the formation of nanoscale-confined geometries such as nanoparticles, aggregates, nanofibers, or thin films. In this review, we discuss the photonic characteristics of conjugated polymer-based nanostructured materials and devices with a focus on how excitons and photons can be manipulated and managed though confinement of polymer chains and through interactions with inorganic nanostructures. We include case studies from the literature on how internal molecular morphology can be controlled in conjugated polymer thin-film optoelectronics, nanowires and nanofibers and, in turn, how internal morphology affects the photonic properties of these structures. Extrinsic approaches to controlling or modifying the photonic properties of conjugated polymer materials and devices through the addition of inorganic photonic nanostructures are also discussed. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.