Self-assembled heterostructures based on triethylenetetraamine grafted PPV, polymeric dyes and complexed metals ions: Structure and energy transfer

Poly(phenylenevinylene) (PPV) grafted with triethylenetetramine TETA, PPV:T ETA, unlike PPV, can interact with anionic sulfonated polymer dyes and can also coordinate metal ions, eg Eu, by chelation with the grafted TETA moiet y. We have used these interactions and chelation to construct two types of self-assembled films using the layer-by-layer self-assembly technique. Stru ctural characterization by means of specular X-ray reflectivity of heterost ructures containing PPV:TETA:Eu showed that in self-assembled films contain ing metal ions there is a clear Bragg reflection (up to the third harmonic) indicating the formation of well modulated heterostructures. Photoluminesc ence (PL) measurements of heterostructures containing PPV:TETA and anionic polymer dyes showed evidence for energy transfer between the PPV:TETA and t he polymer dyes.