Semiconductor block copolymer nanocomposites with lamellar morphology via self-organization

Novel semiconductor block copolymers were synthesized using nitroxide-mediated radical polymerization (NMRP). They are comprised of a hole conductor block carrying tetraphenylbenzidine pendant units (PVDMTPD) and a second poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) block suitable for the preferential incorporation of n-type semiconductor nanocrystals. The conditions of NMRP for both monomers were optimized in order to get macroinitiators with well-defined molecular weights and very low polydispersity (< 1.2). The resulting block polymers exhibit a lamellar morphology due to microphase separation. Furthermore, semiconductor nanocomposites were prepared using these diblock copolymers and light harvesting CdSe:Te nanocrystals, and their bulk morphologies were characterized by TEM. This new hybrid nanocomposite material maintains the original lamellar structure in which the hole conductor domains are separated from electron conducting/light harvesting nanocrystals that are confined in the P4VP domains. Thus, the challenging task of applying the block copolymer strategy to obtain fully functionalized semiconductor hybrid nanocomposites with morphological control and stability has been realized.