(638d) Optoelectronic Polymer Nanowires Via Temple Wetting

Nanowires of a optically active , semi-conducting, conjugated polymer, MEH-PPV, were fabricated using a template wetting method. The structures were created with 200 and 100 nm diameters in porous alumina templates, creating structures with aspect ratios of ~300 and ~600, respectively. Optoelectronic devices were created by forming a transparent anode on one side of the membrane, and a reflective cathode on the other. Conductivity and I-V characteristics were measured and compared with changes in nanowire diameter. These nanowires were used to create optoelectronic devices demonstrating both electroluminescence and photovoltaic activity.

The template wetting method utilizedin this work has proven to be a rapid and effective means of producing nanoscale structures such as nanotubules and nanowires from an array of materials. Much research attention has been given to creating such structures from conducting polymers in template processes, mostly involving electrochemical deposition. The fabrication of nanowires from conducting polymers such as polypyrole and polyanaline by electrochemical deposition have shown improvements in conductivity as structural diameter is decreased. Similar improvement was seen with the MEH-PPV optoelectronic devices reported in this work with a much simpler fabrication procedure.