Control of phase separation in blends of polyfluorene (co)polymers and the C60-derivative PCBM

Here we present results of morphology studies on thin films of polyfluorene-based blends with the fullerene derivative [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). The polymers used are poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) (F8) and four different copolymers of F8. The thin films are spin coated from chloroform solutions onto silicon substrates and their surface morphology is imaged by tapping mode atomic force microscopy (AFM). We observe that the size and the shape of the domains in the film depend on the structure of the polymer. The nature of the monomer that, together with F8, is building the repeating unit in the copolymers has a strong effect on the phase separation in the polymer: PCBM blend. Since phase separation is influenced by interactions between components of the blend and the solvent, these results indicate that the degree of chemical interaction between polymer, solvent and PCBM, is different for the different blends. For the systems that form larger domains there is a clear correlation between the domain size (area) and the polymer/PCBM blend ratio. We also observe that the spin speed affects the thickness of the films and that the domain size increases with increasing thickness, primarily due to longer drying times.