Solvent vapor annealing (SVA) for polymer treatment is widely used for manufacturing organic photovoltaic devices, but the process is poorly understood on the microscopic scale. In this study, an optical monitoring system is designed and used to perform real-time fluorescence analysis of dispersed poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and para-phenylene ethynylene (PPE) films during SVA. The initial swelling of aggregates occurs within seconds. Chain rearrangements then occur and an equilibrium state is reached within minutes. Surface morphologies for both P3HT and PPE polymers are examined using atomic force microscopy (AFM) before and after the SVA process. Although similar transformations from random globules to micrometer-scale nanowires are observed for both polymers, P3HT forms nanowires more easily and quickly than PPE does. The higher solubility of P3HT in chloroform results in superior long-range order; by contrast, PPE chains align into nanowires only with sufficient free space. Real-time spectroscopic monitoring of structures and morphological characterization of such structures through AFM during SVA can improve the understanding of how polymer chains rearrange into ordered structures.

中文翻译：

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分散共轭聚合物溶剂蒸汽退火过程中链间偶联和组装的实时光谱演变

用于聚合物处理的溶剂蒸汽退火 (SVA) 广泛用于制造有机光伏器件，但在微观尺度上对该过程知之甚少。在这项研究中，设计了一个光学监测系统并用于对分散的聚（3-己基噻吩）（P3HT）和对羟基苯甲酸酯进行实时荧光分析。-SVA 期间的亚苯基乙炔 (PPE) 薄膜。聚集体的初始膨胀发生在几秒钟内。然后发生链重排并在几分钟内达到平衡状态。在 SVA 工艺之前和之后，使用原子力显微镜 (AFM) 检查 P3HT 和 PPE 聚合物的表面形态。尽管对于两种聚合物都观察到从随机小球到微米级纳米线的类似转变，但 P3HT 比 PPE 更容易、更快速地形成纳米线。P3HT 在氯仿中的较高溶解度导致优越的长程有序；相比之下，PPE 链只有在有足够的自由空间时才能排列成纳米线。