Effects of thermal conversion on the metal/polymer interface of layer-by-layer PPV/DBS films

In this paper, the thermal conversion effects on the metal/polymer interface of poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) films were investigated. The substrates studied were: aluminum, indium–tin oxide, gold and glass (BK7). Layer-by-layer PPV films were processed from poly(xylylidene tetrahydrothiophenium chloride) and dodecylbenzenesulfonate with 5 and 20 layers. The thermal conversion treatment was performed at 110 °C and 230 °C. The films were investigated through emission spectra. Selectively, the emission occurred in large PPV segments and it showed a significant dependence on the film/metal interface. It was clear that this synthesis process reduced the metal degradation in the interface. The Huang–Rhys factor was estimated to demonstrate this effect.