In the present Chapter, the Light-Induced EPR (LEPR) study of magnetic, relaxation and dynamic parameters of spin charge carriers stabilized and photoinduced in polymer:fullerene and polymer/polymer:fullerene nanocomposites is described. The interaction of positively charged polarons and negatively charged fullerene anion radicals becomes smaller in spin pairs pre-initiated due to interaction with own microenvironment and affects a charge separation in such systems. Being as nanoscope probe they can supply information about structure and dynamics of microenvironment. Illumination initiates the appearance in polymer matrix of spin traps whose number and energy depth are governed by photon energy. A part of charge carriers can be captured by such traps that decrease the conversion efficiency of a composite. The decay of long-living spins captured depends on the spatial distance between the charge carriers photoinduced, on the structure of a composite and also on the energy of exciting photons. Magnetic, relaxation and dynamics parameters of spin charge carriers are governed by the photon energy due to inhomogeneous distribution of polymer and fullerene domains in the composite. An interaction of different domestic or/and photoinduced spin packets deepens the overlapping of their wave functions and leads to the increase in the energy barrier which overcomes the polaron crossing through bulk heterojunctions of polymer nanocomposite. This can open new horizon for the creation of flexible and scalable organic molecular devices with handled spin-assisted electronic properties.
Contents:
9.1. Introduction
9.2. Theoretical backgrounds of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance in polymer composites
9.2.1. Lande factor
9.2.2. Paramagnetic susceptibility
9.2.3. Line shape and width
9.2.4. Dysonian spectral contribution
9.2.5. Electron relaxation and spin dynamics
9.2.6. Mechanism of charge transport in polymers
9.3. Magnetic resonance parameters of spin charge carriers in polymer:fullerene composites
9.3.1. Line shape and g-factor of charge carriers
9.3.2. Photoinitiation and recombination of charge carriers in polymer:fullerene composites
9.3.3. LEPR line width of spin charge carriers
9.3.4. Electron relaxation and dynamics of spin charge carriers
9.4. Utilization of polymer composites in spin-assisted molecular electronics
9.5. Summary