Optical Properties of Poly(3-hexylthiophene)/ZnS Nanocomposites

Nanocomposites comprised of poly(3-alkyl thiophenes)(P3ATs)/semiconductor nanoparticles exhibited excellent photoelectricity performance due to contributions from both the P3ATs and the semiconductor nanoparticles. In this study, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) was synthesized and P3HT/ZnS nanocomposites were prepared using an in-situ method. The ZnS nanoparticles exhibited strong quantum effect on the photoluminescence (PL) properties of P3HT/ZnS and the nanocomposites exhibit an enhanced PL and red-shifted emission with increasing ZnS content. The PL quenched at ZnS-to-3HT ratio of 9.92 1 10-2 mol mol-1. The charge-transfer process between P3HT and ZnS particles is discussed. The P3HT/ZnS composites also exhibited excellent nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. The third-order NLO coefficient of P3HT/ZnS ( χ(3 ) = —6.76 1 10-12 esu) is higher than that of P3HT. The P3HT/ZnS nanocomposites have potential optical applications.