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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Advances in Nanoscale Infrared Spectroscopy to Explore Multiphase Polymeric Systems
Published on: June 23, 2023
Optical spectroscopy of a polyfluorene copolymer at high pressure: intra- and intermolecular interactions
Johanna P Schmidtke1, Ji-Seon Kim, Johannes Gierschner
1Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J. J. Thompson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom. jpschmidtke@gmail.com
Abstract:
We present optical spectroscopy studies of the conjugated polymer poly(9,9-di-n-octylfluorene-alt-benzothiadiazole) (F8BT) at high pressure. The photoluminescence spectrum of F8BT in a dilute solid-state solution in polystyrene redshifts by 320 meV over 7.4 GPa, while that of a F8BT thin film redshifts 460 meV over a comparable pressure range. We attribute the redshift in solution to intrachain pressure effects, principally conformational planarization. The additional contribution from interchain pi-electron interactions accounts for the larger redshift of thin films.
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