Evaporative assembly of MEH-PPV rings using mixed solvents at the air/water interface

Controlling the morphology of conjugated polymers has recently attracted considerable attention because of their applications in photovoltaic (PV) devices and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Here, we describe the self-assembly of a common conjugated polymer, poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV), into ringlike structures via solvent evaporation on an air/water interface. The films are monitored using Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) and transferred onto a solid substrate by either the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) or the Langmuir-Schaefer (LS) method and further characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The morphology of the MEH-PPV thin film at the air/water interface can be controlled by the spreading solvent. By mixing solvents of varying spreading coefficients and evaporation rates, such as chloroform and chlorobenzene, MEH-PPV can be assembled into micrometer-sized ring structures. The optical properties of these MEH-PPV ring structures are also characterized. Lastly, MEH-PPV can be used as a soft template to organize microscale structures of nanoparticles.