Photophysics of Conjugated Polymers and Fullerenes

The basic understanding of the Nature of the Primary Photoexcitations in Conjugated Polymers is still controversial. Semiconductor band picture on the solid state photophysical properties is confronted with the molecular photophysical picture of excitons. This understanding is important for estimating the device performances based on conjugated polymers. Furthermore, the photoexcited state interactions between conjugated polymers and fullerenes are important for the understanding of photovoltaic elements designed in our lab. We investigate the photoexcited state of conjugated polymers in combination with fullerenes with following Experimental Methods: - Photoinduced Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy - Photoinduced Optical Absorption Spectroscopy - Photoinduced Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy - Photoconductivity - Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance - In situ Spectroelectrochemistry for Comparison of Doping Induced Radicals with Photoinduced Excitations