The present invention generally relates to stable emissive aggregates of polymers.
The aggregates are composed of various polymer molecules arranged in such a way
as to allow extended electronic couplings between nearby polymer molecules, enhancing
exciton transport, while minimizing the effects of quenching due to interchain
interactions. For example, the polymer molecules may be arranged in a non-aligned,
electronically-communicative manner (for example, at an oblique angle), stabilized
by various methods such as chemical linkages or physical interactions. Within the
aggregate, electronic interactions along the polymer molecule may extend to nearby
polymer molecules, which may be observed as a shift in the absorption spectra relative
to a random dispersion. Light emitted from the aggregate may be polarized in some
cases, for example, linearly or circularly, which may be caused by chiral arrangements
of polymers within the aggregate (the polymers themselves may or may not be chiral).
These aggregates may find widespread use, for example, in enantiomeric detectors,
electrochemical devices, photodetectors, organic diodes, sensors, light sources,
or photovoltaic devices.