Seminar in Physics and Materials Research: High photothermal conversion efficiency for semiconducting polymer/fullerene nanoparticles: correlation with photoluminescence quenching and photovoltaic effects

Speaker: Prof. Marlus Koehler, Departamento di Fisica, Universidade Federal do Parana, Brazil

Abstract:

Semiconducting polymer nanoparticles (SPNs) have potential applications in a variety of fields due to their remarkable capacity to convert light into other forms of energy. This conversion can occur through photoluminescence (PL), photovoltaic (PV), and/or photothermal (PT) effects, and therefore SPNs can be employed in organic solar cells (OSCs) or nano agents for photothermal therapy (PTT), for instance. In this talk we explore those properties by studying the correlation between PT and PL quenching efficiency of  SPN with increasing fullerene (PC71BM) doping. Thiscorrelation was observed for nanoparticles of three different conjugated polymers. Using then a combination of phenomenological modelling with quantum chemistry calculations, we study the key physical processes that mostly influence the PT effect. The synergetic experimental characterization of PT and PL effects together with the proper theoretical modeling can thus provide valuable information on the factors that enhance a particular kind of energy conversion in SPNs. This methodology can be a valuable tool to prospect new materials aiming at theranostic applicationsand/or clean energy generation.