Photoinduced energy transfer in composites of poly[(p-phenylene-1,2-vinylene)-co-(p-phenylene-1,1-vinylidene)] and single-walled carbon nanotubes

A conjugated polymer, poly[(p-phenylene-1,2-vinylene)-co-(p-phenylene-1,1-vinylidene)] (coPPV), with the structural defect caused by 1,1-vinylidene moieties in the main chain of all-trans phenylene-1,2-vinylenes, has been prepared to examine interactions with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in organic solvents. UV–vis–NIR absorption and AFM measurements revealed that SWNTs are dispersed well in organic solvents by π–π interaction with coPPV. The composite solution of coPPV–SWNTs exhibited a remarkable enhancement of the NIR emission of SWNT with the excitation of coPPV at 400–500 nm, demonstrating the occurrence of energy transfer from the excited coPPV to SWNTs in the composite.