Time-resolved photoluminescence study of organic polysilane–silica hybrid thin films

Time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) measurements have been carried out to study energy migration processes in organic polysilane–silica hybrid thin films prepared by a sol–gel method at 10–300 K. PL decays of the hybrid thin films consist of fast and slow components for all polysilane concentrations studied here. It is found that with decreasing polysilane concentration in the hybrid thin films, the time constants of the slow PL component become longer. This is interpreted in term of the suppression of interchain exciton migration to PL quenching sites because of the increase in the interchain separation at lower polysilane concentration. The information obtained here provides insight for optimizing the hybrid materials for use in optoelectronic devices.