Langmuir-Schaefer Films for Aligned Carbon Nanotubes Functionalized with a Conjugate Polymer and Photoelectrochemical Response Enhancement

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were suspended in 1,2-dichloroethane by noncovalent functionalization with a low-band-gap conjugated polymer 1 alternating dialkoxyphenylene-bisthiophene units with benzo-[c][2,1,3]thiadiazole monomeric units. The suspended 1/SWCNT blend was transferred onto different solid substrates by the Langmuir-Schaefer deposition method, resulting in films with a high percentage of aligned nanotubes. Photoelectrochemical characterization of 1/SWCNT thin films on indium-tin oxide showed the benefits of SWCNT alignment for photoconversion efficiency.