Credit: Image courtesy of Evgueni Nesterov, Louisiana State University
Thin films of semiconducting polymers were made with a surface-initiated growth, resulting in a unique molecular organization. As shown in the schematic, polymer chains grew from the surface and then folded to form bundles through the film’s thickness. The bundles were crystalline and about 3 nanometers (nm) wide. The neighboring lateral bundles were densely packed side-by-side, creating a complex molecular organization. This controlled architecture could be used to enhance light-emitting devices and solar cells.