Temperature dependence of exciton diffusion in conjugated polymers

Abstract

The temperature dependence of the exciton dynamics in a conjugated polymer is studied using time-resolved spectroscopy. Photoluminescence decays were measured in heterostructured samples containing a sharp polymer-fullerene interface, which acts as an exciton quenching wall. Using a ID diffusion model, the exciton diffusion length and diffusion coefficient were extracted in the temperature range of 4-293 K. The exciton dynamics reveal two temperature regimes: in the range of 4-150 K, the exciton diffusion length (coefficient) of ∼3 nm (∼1.5 × 10∼4 cm2/s) is nearly temperature independent. Increasing the temperature up to 293 K leads to a gradual growth up to 4.5 nm (∼3.2 × 10∼4 cm 2/s). This demonstrates that exciton diffusion in conjugated polymers is governed by two processes: an initial downhill migration toward lower energy states in the inhomogenously broadened density of states, followed by temperature activated hopping. The latter process is switched off below 150 K. © 2008 American Chemical Society.