Charge Transfer Channels in Formation of Exciplex in Polymer Blends

The strong dependence of photoluminescence of charge transfer excited states or exciplex in a blend film of poly(9,9'-dioctylfluorene-co-benzothiadiazole) (F8BT) and poly(9,9'-dioctylfluorene-co-bis-N,N'-(4-butylphenyl)-bis-N,N'-phenyl-1,4- phenylenediamine) (PFB) on the excitation wavelengths and morphology is investigated. The experimental results reveal that electron transfer in the LUMOs from PFB to F8BT is more efficient than hole transfer in the HOMOs from PFB to F8BT for the formation of exciplex at the interfacial junctions between these two types of molecules in the blend film. Furthermore, energy transfer from the blue-emitting PFB to the green-emitting F8BT at the interfaces introduces an additional two-step channel and thus enhances the formation of an exciplex. This is important for understanding of charge generation and separation in organic bulk heterojunctions and for design of optoelectronic devices.