Photoconductivity of fullerene-doped polymers

Abstract

PHOTOCONDUCTING materials are employed in many technological applications, such as photodetection and electrostatic imaging.¹ We report here the preparation of photoconducting films of polyvinylcarbazole (PVK) doped with fullerenes (a mixture of C₆₀ and C₇₀). The performance of this material is comparable with some of the best photoconductors available commercially, such as thiapyrylium dye aggregates². The quantum yield for primary charge separation and the initial ion-pair distance are calculated, within the framework of the Onsager model^3,4, to be 0.9 and 19 Å respectively. The wavelength dependence of photoconductivity is essentially determined by the absorption spectrum of the fullerenes, with the active range extending from about 280 to 680 nm. The isolation of other fullerenes and fullerene derivatives may lead to the development of a large number of fullerene-based polymeric photoconductors in the future.