Circular Polarization of the Fluorescence from Films of Poly(p-phenylene vinylene) and Polythiophene with Chiral Side Chains

Circularly polarized photoluminescence has been observed from chiral π-conjugated polymers (e.g., see Figure). It was found that the degree of circular polarization was greater in the absorption than in the emission, which is interpreted in terms of trap sites acting as luminescent centers. These results may be important for the fabrication of LEDs for producing circularly polarized light.