Hierarchical network-like structure of poly(3-hexlthiophene) (P3HT) by accelerating the disentanglement of P3HT in a P3HT/PS (polystyrene) blend

Abstract

We accelerate the disentanglement of poly(3-hexlthiophene) (P3HT) in the P3HT/polystyrene (PS) blend film to improve the crystallinity of P3HT via thermal treatment. When the P3HT/PS blend film was heated at a temperature higher than the glass transition temperature (Tg) of PS, PS with a small molecular weight played a role as a “solvent” to dissolve the P3HT. Thus, the P3HT molecule chains moved relatively freely in PS to accelerate the disentanglement. As the temperature was reduced, the ordered P3HT nanowhiskers formed spontaneously without any confinement. Finally, a network-like hierarchical structure was obtained, which is governed by intrinsic properties of the blend system and crystallization conditions. This work enriches the ways to improve crystalline order in polymer thin films with less chain entanglement during the crystallization process of conjugated polymers.