Open AccessMorphology and Intramolecular Interactions in P(VDF-TrFE) Electrospun Nanofibers Doped with Disperse Orange 3 Dye: A Joint Infrared Spectroscopy and Electron Microscopy Study
Author(s) -
Alessia Arrigoni,
Gianluca Serra,
Jacopo Manidi,
Chiara Bertarelli,
Chiara Castiglioni
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
acs omega
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.779
H-Index - 40
ISSN - 2470-1343
DOI - 10.1021/acsomega.2c00363
Subject(s) - materials science , electrospinning , nanofiber , chromophore , molecule , infrared spectroscopy , intramolecular force , polymer , methyl orange , spectroscopy , polymer chemistry , copolymer , photochemistry , nanotechnology , chemistry , composite material , stereochemistry , organic chemistry , photocatalysis , physics , catalysis , quantum mechanics
In this study, we describe a host-guest system consisting of a push-pull dye, the 4-amino-4'-nitroazobenzene (Disperse Orange 3, DO3 ), mixed with the copolymer poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) [ P(VDF-TrFE) ] as a potential candidate for nonlinear optics (NLO) applications. We developed electrospun nanofibers of the polymer/dye blend, showing a highly anisotropic molecular structure, where DO3 molecules are mostly oriented parallel to the polymer chain, running in the fiber axis direction. The technique opens a way for obtaining non-centrosymmetric ordering of the NLO chromophore without requiring further poling. The supramolecular architecture is deeply investigated through infrared vibrational spectroscopy, which allows detecting a new phase involving DO3 molecules linked together by strong directional H-bonds. Electron microscopies highlight peculiar nanofiber morphologies with a preferred localization of DO3 at the surface layers.