Synthesis of Conducting Polymer–Metal Nanoparticle Hybrids Exploiting RAFT Polymerization

The direct covalent attachment of conducting polymers (CP) to nanoparticles (NP) to form CP-NP nanohybrids is of great interest for optoelectronic device applications. Hybrids formed by covalently anchoring CP to NP, rather than traditional blending or bilayer approaches, is highly desirable. CP-NP nanohybrids have increased interfacial surface area between the two components, facilitating rapid exciton diffusion at the p–n heterojunction. These materials take advantage of the facile solution processability, lightweight characteristics, flexibility, and mechanical strength associated with CPs, and the broad spectral absorption, photostability, and high charge carrier mobility of NPs. We demonstrate the ability to polymerize a hole transporting (HT) polymer utilizing reversible-addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and its subsequent rapid aminolysis to yield a thiol-terminated HT polymer. Subsequent facile attachment to gold (Au) and silver (Ag) NPs and cadmium selenide (CdSe) quantum dots (QDs), to form a number of CP–NP systems is demonstrated and characterized. CP–NP nanohybrids show broad spectral absorptions ranging from UV through visible to the near IR, and their facile synthesis and purification could allow for large scale industrial applications.