Evaporative Self-Assembly and Formation of the Lyotropic Liquid Crystalline Phase of Poly(3-hexyl thiophene)

In this study, we electrically and optically interrogated the evolution of the thin film structure in conjugated systems using poly(3-hexylthiphene) (P3HT) as a model semiconducting polymer. In an effort to understand the electrical properties of the conducting channel in terms of polymer chain orientation and relaxation in solution, we performed in-situ micro-Raman measurements using polarized incident light. We measured the extent of molecular chain alignment during the process of film formation and showed the existence of a lyotropic liquid crystal phase at the three-phase contact line. The variation of frequency dispersion and the shift of position for Raman active mode, combined with the structural anisotropy of P3HT films, suggest a phase transition to the lyotropic liquid crystalline phase. The orientational order of P3HT chains in the liquid crystalline phase was quantified as a function of evaporation time using solidified solvent, 1,3,5-triclorobenzene (1,3,5-TCB).