Photoinduced energy transfer in composites of poly[(p-phenylene-1,2-vinylene)-co-(p-phenylene-1,1-vinylidene)] and single-walled carbon nanotubes

A conjugated polymer, poly[(p-phenylene-1,2-vinylene)-co-(p-phenylene-1,1-vinylidene)] (coPPV), with the structural defect caused by 1,1-vinylidene moieties in the main chain of all-trans phenylene-1,2-vinylenes, has been prepared to examine interactions with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in organic solvents. UV-vis-NIR absorption and AFM measurements revealed that SWNTs are dispersed well in organic solvents by pi-pi interaction with coPPV. The composite solution of coPPV SWNTs exhibited a remarkable enhancement of the NIR emission of SWNT with the excitation of coPPV at 400-500 nm, demonstrating the occurrence of energy transfer from the excited coPPV to SWNTs in the composite. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.