Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
The synthesis of poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) conjugated polymer nanowires using the method of solution assisted wetting of nanoporous alumina membrane templates is reported. Polymer nanowires (approx. 109 per template) with a diameter of approx. 200 nm are obtained. Photoluminescence from isolated nanowires fluidically-aligned at glass substrates is found to be dominated by emission from the planar beta-phase of the polymer. The wires also exhibit polarized light emission suggestive of axial alignment of beta-phase segments within the nanowires. Dense arrays of aligned nanowires exhibiting anisotropic emission are also demonstrated.