Large enhancement of optical response and photovoltaic effect in carbon nanotube-based composites

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25400332
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Condensed matter physics I
• Research Institution: Toyota Physical and Chemical Research Institute
• Principal Investigator: NAKAMURA ARAO 公益財団法人豊田理化学研究所, その他部局等, フェロー (50159068)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: カーボンナノチューブ / 金属ナノ粒子 / 光学応答 / フェムト秒ダイナミクス / 励起エネルギー移動 / 電荷移動 / 光起電力効果 / 光捕集

Outline of Final Research Achievements

By utilizing the hollow space within single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), we successfully synthesized quaterrylene molecules from perylene, and polythiophene from sexythiophene. In quaterrylene-encapsulated SWNTs, excitation energy transfer (EET) from quaterrylene to SWNT is observed, and the EET times are found to be 0.4-1.4 ps, depending on the tube diameter. In fluorene polymer-wrapped SWNTs, EET occurs from polymer to SWNTs as well as EET between wrapped SWNTs. The transfer time is comparable to those of molecule-encapsulated SWNTs.
In polythiophene-encapsulated SWNTs, photoconductive behavior can be observed under visible light illumination, indicating carrier generation by photoexcitation of polythiophene. The charge transfer time from polythiophene to SWNTs is as short as 1 ps. We have found that such ultrafast energy and charge transfer are characteristic of carbon nanotube-based hybrid systems where the distance between polymer/molecule and SWNT is less than 1 nm.

Free Research Field

光物性