Controlling the Deposition of Light-Emitting Nanofibers/Microfibers by the Electrospinning of a Poly(p-phenylene vinylene) Polyelectrolyte Precursor

Poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) nanofibers with disordered, helical, and yarn morphologies were controllably prepared by the electrospinning of a cationic polyelectrolyte precursor in an ethanol solution followed by thermal conversion. Through the tuning of the precursor solution properties and processing variables, the factors affecting the morphology of PPV fibers were studied. The diameter of these PPV nanofibers decreased with a decrease in the precursor concentration, and gradual blueshifts and changes in the relative intensity of the vibronic components in photoluminescence spectra were observed. These nanofibers with excellent fluorescent properties are potentially interesting for many applications such as micro- and nano-optoelectronic devices and systems. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 114: 1864-1869, 2009