"Polymer-fullerence Ironically Self-Assebled Monolayer Phot

Revolutionary ionically self-assembled monolayer (ISAM) methods of creating multifunctional thin-films monolayer by monolayer have recently been proven to yield self-assembled, electronically and phonically--active polymeric thin fi!ms. F&S and Virginia Tech have demonstrated that the ISAM technique can be used to fabricate both polymer light emitting diodes and inherently noncentrosymmetric electro-optic polymer films. Photovoltaic devices are another important area of opportunity for conducting polymers. When the fullerene C60 is incorporated into conducting, conjugated polymer films, photoexcitation results in a rapid charge-transfer from. the polymer to C60. The resultant dissociation of the photoexcited electron-hole pair enhances the polymer photovoltaic response by orders of magnitude. The precise spatial positioning of the C60 and polymer layers using ISAM fabrication provides enhanced charge separation and photovoltaic response. ISAM fullerene--polymer photo voltaic chin-films offer additional major advantages of excellent homogeneity, high thermal and chemical stability, simplicity and lowcost. The films can be conformally fabricated over large areas on flexible substrates. The development of ISAM photovoltaic devices can result in low-cost, high, efficiency polymer photodiodes and solar cells. F&S has licensed the enabling Virginia Tech patent for ISAM materials processing, and would work with Virginia Tech optoelectronic and fullerene researchers to rapidly transition laboratory results to prototype device products.