Enhancement of polymer luminescence by excitation-energy transfer from mufti-walled carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes have been shown to efficiently quench luminescence from conjugated polymers when incorporated in a composite. However, shown here is an up to 100-fold increase in the visible photoluminescence signal from fluorescent chromophores in nylon 10,10 by incorporating mufti-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Using 325- and 488-nm excitation the optical absorption by MWCNTs embedded within.the polymer matrix is demonstrated, followed by efficient excitation-energy transfer to emissive chromophores intrinsic to the polymer but only when the MWCNTs are acid functionalised. Furthermore, the MWCNTs are shown to significantly retard photobleaching of fluorescent centers in the nylon composites. These remarkable properties greatly advance the prospects of utilizing MWCNTs in organic solar cells and electroluminecent devices to improve performance.