Impact of Erbium-Doped Silicon Nanocrystals on the Properties of Polyphenylene Vinylene Films

This report describes the fabrication and properties of composite films composed of poly(phenylene vinylene) (PPV) and Er-doped Si nanocrystals. For these hybrid nanocrystal/polymer materials, preliminary results have focused on their characterization via atomic force microscopy (AFM), profilometry, absorption/fluorescence spectroscopy, and current−voltage measurements. In general, it is found that the presence of Er-doped Si nanoparticles in the film strongly impacts the steady-state photoluminescence of the PPV, whereas the presence or absence of solvent chosen for the nanocrystals influences the carrier transport and resultant visible electroluminescence of light-emitting diodes fabricated from these materials.