Self-assembled heterostructures based on triethylenetetraamine grafted ppv, polymeric dyes and complexed metals ions: Structure and energy transfer

Poly(phenylenevinylene) (PPV) grafted with triethylenetetramine (TETA), PPV:TETA, unlike PPV, can interact with anionic sulfonated polymer dyes and can also coordinate metal ions, `eg Eu, by chelation with the grafted TETA moiety. We have used these interactions and chelation to construct two types of self-assembled films using the layer-by-layer self-assembly technique. Structural characterization by means of specular X-ray reflectivity of heterostructures containing PPV:TETA:Eu showed that in self-assembled films containing metal ions there is a clear Bragg reflection (up to the third harmonic) indicating the formation of well modulated heterostructures. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements of heterostructures containing PPV:TETA and anionic polymer dyes showed evidence for energy transfer between the PPV:TETA and the polymer dyes.