Hyperspectral imaging of polymer/fullerene blends

The effectiveness of a hyperspectral imaging system integrated on an enhanced dark-field microscope for probing the microscale morphology of model poly(3- hexylthiopene): [6,6]-phenyl-C61- butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) blends is demonstrated. This non-contact technique provides both spectral and spatial information in one measurement, providing an effective mapping of the presence and location of the component materials in the investigated P3HT:PCBM blends spincoated over different substrates (zinc oxide, poly(3,4- ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate). The hyperspectral analysis accounts for the micro-scale morphology of P3HT:PCBM blends, even in case of high film roughness, and the quantitative determination of blend components reveals a preferential accumulation of the lowenergy material (P3HT) at the interface with air, confirming the findings reported with other mapping techniques