Influence of dispersed carbon nanotubes on the optical and structural properties of a conjugated polymer

We studied composites of single walled carbon nanotubes and poly(3hexylthiophene) by optical absorption, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron and scanning tunneling microscopy. Dispersing single walled carbon nanotubes in poly(3hexylthiophene) leads to sharpening of vibronic structure and enhanced optical absorbance near the band edge. We show that the enhanced order in the polymer is due to templating of the polymer chains by the surface of the carbon nanotubes leading to increased electronic delocalization.