The properties of conjugated polymer materials depend on complicated compositional and architectural features that influence the structures and interactions of their backbones, sidechains and interactions with intercalated species, such as those in organic photovoltaic (OPV) materials. In particular, the presence, causes, and consequences of local order and disorder in such systems are often subtle and have been challenging to establish. Nevertheless, advances in syntheses and molecular characterization of conjugated polymers increasingly enable molecular-level features to be measured and correlated with their macroscopic physicochemical properties. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy, especially two-dimensional techniques, provide improved resolution that yields detailed information on the local environments, interactions, and distributions of backbone, sidechain, and intercalated moieties in conjugated polymer materials. NMR analyses, together with X-ray scattering, molecular modelling, and macroscopic property measurements, yield insights on pi-pi interactions, backbone conformations, sidechain interdigitation, and structure-function relationships associated with bulk-heterojunction OPV materials. Results will be presented for conjugated polymer and conjugated polymer-fullerene blends, with emphases on the molecular interactions and distributions of compositional or structural order and disorder that influence the properties and performances of devices based on these materials.

Molecular-level order, disorder, and interactions in conjugated polymers and blends from solid-state NMR

255th National Meeting (2018)

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