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Temperature-induced aggregation evolution in poly(3-hexylthiophene) spun films: a UV-vis absorption and Franck-Condon
Qurat-Ul-Ain Abbasi1, Elbadawy Abdelaziz Kamoun2, Faheem Shah2
1Department of Chemistry, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Muzaffarabad AJK 13100 Pakistan.
RSC Advances
|August 12, 2026
Summary
High annealing temperatures disrupt poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) aggregates, reducing their fraction and conjugation length. This study quanties the thermal effects on P3HT films for optoelectronic device optimization.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Science
- Optoelectronics
Background:
- Conjugated polymer aggregates significantly impact optoelectronic device performance.
- Understanding the thermal behavior of these aggregates is crucial for material processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the temperature-dependent optical response of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) films.
- To quantify structural changes in P3HT aggregates upon thermal annealing.
Main Methods:
- Ex situ UV-vis absorption spectroscopy was employed on P3HT films annealed stepwise from 25 °C to 300 °C.
- Franck-Condon (FC) vibronic analysis was used to derive structural parameters from absorption spectra.
Main Results:
- Increasing annealing temperature led to spectral broadening and reduced vibronic resolution.
- A transition near 200 °C showed decreased aggregate fraction (43% to 33%) and broadened exciton bandwidth (64 to 135 meV).
- Effective conjugation length reduced from ~45 to ~15 monomers, indicating disrupted interchain packing.
Conclusions:
- Thermal annealing above ~200 °C progressively disrupts P3HT aggregate structure and interchain packing.
- The derived parameters offer a quantitative framework for understanding P3HT thermal response.
- Findings can guide processing strategies for optimizing conjugated polymer thin films in electronic devices.
