Control of all-conjugated block copolymer crystallization via thermal and solvent annealing

Control of the crystallization of conjugated polymers is of critical importance to the performance of organic electronics, such as organic photovoltaic devices, due to the effect on charge separation and transport, particularly for all-polymer devices. The block copolymer poly(3-dodecylthiophene)-block-poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) (P3DDT-b-PF), which has matched crystallization temperatures for each block, is used to study the effects of processing history on resulting crystallization. For longer annealing times and rapid quenching to room temperature, P3DDT crystals are preferred whereas for shorter annealing times and slower quenching, PF crystals are preferred. Both crystal forms are evidenced for long annealing time and slow quenching. Additionally, for room temperature annealing in the presence of a chloroform vapor, PF crystals are found in the PF phase with the predominant crystal peak oriented perpendicular to the thermally annealed case. These results will provide guidance for optimizing annealing strategies for future donor/acceptor block copolymer photovoltaic devices. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014, 52, 900-906