Chain organization and photophysics of conjugated polymer in poor solvents: Aggregates, agglomerates and collapsed coils

UV/vis absorption, excitation, and emission spectroscopies are utilized to explore the association behavior of conjugated polymer, poly[2-methoxy, 5-(2′-ethylhexyloxy)-p-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV), in a homologous series of linear alcohols and solvent–nonsolvent systems. We demonstrate that the aggregation, agglomeration, and collapse of isolated chains, which all take place in the poor solvents, exhibit different optical signatures. The aggregate, in which chromophores interact electronically, causes a red shift of absorption and emission spectra while the weak interaction of chromophores in the agglomerates leaves electronic properties unaltered. The collapse of isolated chain is accompanied by a blue shift of the spectra. Energy transfer from excited chromophores of non-aggregated chains to the lower energy aggregates is significantly diminished in the system of alcohol solvents, allowing separate emissions from various chromophores to occur. The optical signatures and extent of energy transfer are used as tools to elucidate the association mechanism and chain organization of isolated chains into large particles upon decreasing solvent quality. The extreme collapse of isolated chains in the very poor solvents is found to inhibit the chain organization into aggregates.