Energy-sustained reversible nanoscale order and conductivity increase in polymer thin films

When treated with 30 kHz ultrasounds in isothermal conditions, poly-3-hexylthiophene (P3HT) thin films show a marked increase of their nanoscale order. This structural transition is fully reversible, as the system returns to its initial structure when ultrasounds are turned off. The increase of nanoscale order is shown to consists of a more efficient packing and/or alignment of amorphous fragments along pre-existing nano-crystals. Additionally,...