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The influence of thermal annealing on the morphology and structural properties of a conjugated polymer in blends with an organic acceptor material

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Abstract

In this report, the influence of thermal annealing of thin P3HT films and P3HT:C60 composites were studied regarding their morphology and structural properties. Atomic force microscope measurements on P3HT films and P3HT:C60 composite disclose some variation in morphology during annealing due to the crystallization of C60. The as-prepared P3HT:C60 films have a higher surface roughness and larger cluster size compared to the as-prepared P3HT films. The thermal annealing effects on the optical microscopy indicate that the polymer shows improved capability to self-organize. Their structural properties were studied by X-ray diffraction analysis. It was found that the crystallinity of the investigated films is drastically increased upon annealing and a decrease in the grain sizes is observed.

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Aknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the financial support of the Department of Science and Technology of South Africa and the Council for Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa (Project No. HGERA7S). The authors are especially thankful to Jayita Bandyopadhyay (National Centre for Nano-Structured Materials, CSIR) for her valued assistance with the optical microscopy analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Centre for Nano-structured Materials, Council for Scientific Industrial Research, P.O. Box 395, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa

    David E. Motaung, Gerald F. Malgas, Sipho E. Mavundla & Clive J. Oliphant

  2. Department of Physics, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville, 7535, South Africa

    David E. Motaung, Christopher J. Arendse & Dirk Knoesen

  3. Department of Chemistry, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville, 7535, South Africa

    Sipho E. Mavundla

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  1. David E. Motaung
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  2. Gerald F. Malgas
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  3. Christopher J. Arendse
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  4. Sipho E. Mavundla
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  5. Clive J. Oliphant
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  6. Dirk Knoesen
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Correspondence to Gerald F. Malgas.

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Motaung, D.E., Malgas, G.F., Arendse, C.J. et al. The influence of thermal annealing on the morphology and structural properties of a conjugated polymer in blends with an organic acceptor material. J Mater Sci 44, 3192–3197 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-009-3425-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-009-3425-8

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