Carbon Nanotube Doping Effect on Structure and Optical Properties of Poly(3-Hexylthiophene) Tensile Strain Sensing Thin Films

The poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT)-based thin films were shown to perform multifunctional capability as a self-powered tensile strain sensor for structural health monitoring and an energy harvester. It was shown that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) could help alignment of molecules through non-covalent functionalization of CNTs via helical wrapping. P3HT molecules are expected to be better ordered thanks to the doped CNTs. In this study, doping effect of the CNT will be investigated on crystalline structures and optical properties of P3HT tensile sensing thin films. First, P3HT tensile strain sensing thin films with various doping concentrations of CNTs will be fabricated using the spin-coating technique. Second, the fabricated P3HT-based sensing thin films will be characterized using x-ray diffractometer and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer to understand the changes of P3HT molecules’ crystalline structures and optical properties at various strain levels, respectively.