Journal
NANO LETTERS
Volume 21, Issue 21, Pages 9146-9152Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c02963
Keywords
ultrafast electron microscopy; semiconducting polymer; strain effect; secondary electron emission; photoelastic effect
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Funding
- U.S. Army Research Office [W911NF-19-1-0060]
- U.S. Department of Energy [DE-SC0019244]
- National Science Foundation [DMR-1808622]
- U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) [DE-SC0019244] Funding Source: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
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This study utilized scanning ultrafast electron microscopy to observe the dynamics of photoinduced transient strain in the semiconducting polymer P3HT, revealing a unique ring-shaped contrast. The unusual observation was attributed to the electronic structure modulation of P3HT caused by a photoinduced strain field. This work provides important insights into tailoring optoelectronic properties using transient mechanical deformation in semiconducting polymers.
Understanding the optoelectronic properties of semiconducting polymers under external strain is essential for their applications in flexible devices. Although prior studies have highlighted the impact of static and macroscopic strains, assessing the effect of a local transient deformation before structural relaxation occurs remains challenging. Here, we employ scanning ultrafast electron microscopy (SUEM) to image the dynamics of a photoinduced transient strain in the semiconducting polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). We observe that the photoinduced SUEM contrast, corresponding to the local change of secondary electron emission, exhibits an unusual ring-shaped profile. We attribute the observation to the electronic structure modulation of P3HT caused by a photoinduced strain field owing to its low modulus and strong electron-lattice coupling, supported by a finite-element analysis. Our work provides insights into tailoring optoelectronic properties using transient mechanical deformation in semiconducting polymers and demonstrates the versatility of SUEM to study photophysical processes in diverse materials.
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