Dendritic sidegroups as three-dimensional barriers to aggregation quenching of conjugated polymer fluorescence

We study the photophysics of poly-phenylenevinylene (PPV) polymers with large dendritic sidegroups under both isolated chain and aggregated chain conditions. Aggregation causes a substantial reduction in photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield but that decrease is ameliorated by the attachment of an additional generation of dendron to the PPV backbone. Three-dimensional separation of chromophores can be achieved with these sidegroups and the formation of nearly non-emissive interchain excitations leads to a factor of four enhancements in solid-state PL.