High energy ion irradiation effect on light-emitting poly(3-methylthiophene) (P3MT) nanowires

Light-emitting poly(3-methylthiophene) (P3MT) nanowires with a diameter of ∼200 nm were fabricated using an electrochemical polymerization method based on an anodic alumina oxide (Al2O3) nanoporous template. The relatively high energy (3 MeV) Cl2+ ions were irradiated onto the P3MT nanowires with dosages from 1 × 1013 to 1 × 1015 ions/cm2. To study the effect of high energy ion irradiation on P3MT nanowires, we measured UV/vis absorbance, Raman spectra, and laser confocal microscope photoluminescence (PL) on the nanometer scale. The relative atomic concentrations of carbon elements in the pristine and the 3 MeV Cl2+ ion-irradiated P3MT nanowires were investigated through XPS experiments. As the dosage of the 3 MeV Cl2+ ion irradiation increased, we observed that the P3MT nanowires changed to a partially carbonized form, and that the PL efficiency of the systems decreased.