Glass transition of PCBM, P3HT and their blends in quenched state

Trinh Tung Ngo, Duc Nghia Nguyen and Van Tuyen Nguyen

Abstract

In this work the thermal behavior with the glass transition of phenyl-C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and their blends was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Both TGA and DSC measurements show that PCBM contains around 1% residual solvent in the crystalline structure. The glass transition of PCBM, P3HT and their blends was determined by quenching techniques. The quenched state of the materials has a strong effect on the glass transition of the materials, especially in the case of PCBM. In all blend compositions only one glass transition temperature was found. These results indicate that PCBM and P3HT are thermodynamically miscible in all blend compositions