Deciphering Anomalous Raman Features of Regioregular Poly(3-hexylthiophene) in Ordered Aggregation Form

Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), being a prototypic conjugated polymer, bears a high charge mobility that is sensitive to its packing configuration in the condensed phase. Despite its extensive experimental study with X-ray diffraction, its specified packing structure still remains stymied. This study searched for possible structures of crystalline P3HT and identified the one that holds a simulated Raman spectrum most approximate to the experimental one of ordered P3HT aggregates in the frozen solvent. The spectral correspondence shows that the Raman-active C–C stretch peak exhibits a red shift in frequency, while the C═C stretch peak displays a blue shift as the layer planarity of P3HT is relaxed. Moreover, the C═C peak splits into two when adjacent thiophene rings in the P3HT chain hold a dihedral angle of 22° with respect to each other. This study demonstrates that Raman spectroscopy plus first-principles simulations can serve as a powerful tool to resolve fine structures of molecular crystals.