Semiconducting carbon nanotubes dispersed in conjugated polymers as active materials in optoelectronic devices for near-infrared light emission

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Jana Zaumseil
• Subject Area: Preparatory and Physical Chemistry of Polymers
• Term: from 2010 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 185655696

Near-infrared light (800-2000 nm) is of great technological importance, for example, for optical telecommunication, but efficient solution-processable near-infrared emitters are rare. In this project semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes that were selectively dispersed in conjugated polymers (e.g. polyfluorenes) are employed as near-infrared emitters in light-emitting field-effect transistors. Polyfluorenes are able to individualize and selectively disperse semiconducting carbon nanotubes with specific chiralities and thus emission wavelength. This also leads to high fluorescence efficiencies. After extracting the nanotubes from the polymer dispersion they can be used as semiconducting and emitting layers in ambipolar, light-emitting field-effect transistors. Within this project we will investigate the influence of the nanotube chirality and thus bandgap, the density of the network, the alignment of the nanotubes and their dielectric environment on the excitation and charge transfer within networks of carbon nanotubes. The ultimate goal is an efficient near-infrared light source with narrow linewidth and selectable wavelength on the basis of solution-processed semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants