Effects of Polythiophene as a Photosensitizer on Dynamic and Steady-State Photorefractive Performance in Polymeric Composites

This study examined the effects of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as a photosensitizer on the dynamic and steady-state photorefractive (PR) performance of polymeric composites. The performance was measured in terms of the magnitude and buildup speed of the PR grating. Absorption quenching was observed in a PR composite that was doped with P3HT/fullerene (C(60)). This absorption quenching was attributed to disordering of the P3HT chains, and charge transfer between P3HT and C(60). The magnitude and buildup speed of the PR grating were strongly dependent on space charge formation, which was affected by visible light absorption and the hole mobility.This work was supported by the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation (KOSEF) grant funded by the Korea government (MEST) (Grant No. R11-2007-050-01003-0) and by the Research fund of HYU (HYU-2008-T)