Polymer structure characterization of polythiophenes by fluorescence spectroscopy in solution

The relations between the fluorescence and structural properties of poly(3-dodecylthiophene) (PDDT) were studied by steady-state and time-resolved techniques. The comparison of the time-resolved results of two pure PDDT samples with different ratios of regioregularity revealed that the irregularities cause conformational defects in the polymer backbone. On the basis of performed measurements and data processing methods, the ratios of the electron-donated thiophene units that are built into the PDDT chain were estimated in the case of copolymer samples. The fluorescence technique proves to be an available tool, alongside NMR spectroscopy, for yielding structural information about polymer materials.