Template-assisted fabrication and characterization of photoluminescent polymer nanopillars

Photoluminescent nanopillars are fabricated by replication from nanoporous anodic alumina via template wetting using polymer from different chemical families: polyfluorenes, PPV derivatives and thiophenes. The experimental process entails infiltration of a polymeric solution into the pores of the template with an average pore diameter of 225 nm and a pore depth of 500 nm. The geometric features of the resulting structures are characterized with environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). The influence of nanostructure in the photo-physical properties of the polymer is investigated by UV-Vis absorbance and photoluminescence measurements. Polarized Raman spectroscopy characterization is also performed in order to study the different polymer conformation into the nanoporous template. The nanopillars obtained are interesting in many applications such as nanostructured solar cells and polymer light emitting diodes. (c) 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim