Microwave photoconductivity and polaron formation in poly[methyl(phenyl)silylene]

The photogeneration of charge carriers in poly[methyl(phenyl)silylene] (PMP Si) is a multistage process including, photoinduced electron transfer and r elaxation of the charge-transfer state which results in ion (polaron) pair formation. The radical ions are usually detected by transient optical absor ption. Covalently linked molecular dipoles or Coulomb-correlated ion-pairs, and free and shallow localized carriers can also be detected by the method of time-resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC). This method is based on th e proportionality of the relative change in the reflected microwave power a nd the "induced conductivity" due to dipolar transitions that are caused by the absorption of a light. The formation of radical ion-pairs in poly[meth yl(phenyl)silylene] upon light excitation was studied by the abovementioned techniques. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.