The efficiency of photomobile polymers (PMP) in the conversion of light into mechanical work plays a fundamental role in achieving cutting-edge innovation in the development of novel applications ranging from energy harvesting to sensor approaches. Because of their photochromic properties, azobenzene monomers have been shown to be an efficient material for the preparation of PMPs with appropriate photoresponsivity. Upon integration of the azobenzene molecules as moieties into a polymer, they act as an engine, allowing fast movements of up to 50 Hz. In this work we show a promising approach for integrating ZnO nanoparticles into a liquid crystalline polymer network. The addition of such nanoparticles allows the trapping of incoming light, which acts as diffusive points in the polymer matrix. We characterized the achieved nanocomposite material in terms of thermomechanical and optical properties and finally demonstrated that the doped PMP was better performing that the undoped PMP film.
Hybrid heterojunctions of conjugated polymers and inorganic nanomaterials are a promising combination for obtaining high performance solar cells (SC). In this work we have explored new possible uses of the WS2 nanotubes (NTs) both as the only acceptor material blended with a polymer and in ternary systems mixed with a polymer and quantum dots (QDs). In particular we have spectroscopically investigated binary blends of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and WS2 NTs, P3HT and CdSe QDs, and ternary blends of P3HT, CdSe QDs and WS2 NTs. We report fluorescence quenching effects of the QD signal in the P3HT-CdSe-WS2 system with the increase of NT concentration. Static and time-resolved fluorescence studies reveal efficient resonant energy transfer from the QDs to the NTs upon photoexcitation. The evidence of energetic interaction between WS2 NTs and QDs opens new fields of application of WS2 NTs and holds very promising potential for improving charge transfer phenomena in the active layer of hybrid solar cells.
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