Optical study of poly(3‐decylthiophene)/CdS nanocomposites

Abstract Nanocomposites comprised of poly(3‐alkyl thiophenes) (P3ATs)/semiconductor nanoparticles exhibited excellent photoelectricity performance because of contributions from both the P3ATs and the semiconductor nanoparticles. In this article, poly(3‐decylthiophene) (P3DT) was synthesized and P3DT/CdS nanocomposites were prepared using an in‐situ method. The CdS nanoparticles exhibited strong quantum effect on the photoluminescence (PL) properties of P3DT/CdS and the nanocomposites exhibit an enhanced PL and red‐shifted emission with increasing CdS content. The PL quenched at CdS‐to‐3DT ratio at 0.35 mol%. The charge‐transfer process between P3DT and CdS particles is discussed. P3DT/CdS composites also exhibit excellent nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. The third‐order NLO coefficient of P3DT/CdS (χ⁽³⁾ = −4.62 × 10⁻¹² esu) is higher than that of P3DT. The P3DT/CdS nanocomposites have potential optical applications. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers