Non-radiative energy transfer in aqueously dispersed polymeric nanoparticles for photovoltaic applications

Abstract

Polymeric nanoparticles dispersed in an aqueous medium were synthesized using the miniemulsion technique. In this study, nanoparticles composed of copolymer F8T2, homopolymer MDMO-PPV and a mixture of both were investigated aiming to unravel the interaction between these materials. By decreasing the distance between the nanostructured materials, higher Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) was observed from F8T2 to MDMO-PPV. This enhanced energy transfer could generate more free charge carriers, increasing the short circuit current density, when the nanoparticles were applied as an active layer in organic photovoltaic devices, influencing the increase in the efficiency of these devices.