Interfacial Charge Transfer and Electronic Structure Modulation in Ultrathin Graphene P3HT Hybrid Heterostructures

TL;DR

This study uses ab initio calculations to explore how the molecular structure of P3HT affects interfacial charge transfer with graphene, providing insights for optimizing polymer-graphene photovoltaic devices.

Contribution

It reveals the influence of P3HT structural variations on charge transfer and electronic properties in hybrid heterostructures, guiding device design.

Findings

Charge transfer occurs spontaneously in all configurations.

Ordered and periodic P3HT enhance charge transfer efficiency.

Thicker, more ordered P3HT layers improve charge separation.

Abstract

Ultrathin polymer-graphene heterostructures are promising materials for next generation optoelectronic and photovoltaic technologies, while the influence of the polymer's structural variation on interfacial charge transfer remains unclear. Here, using ab initio quantum mechanical calculations we show how different forms of Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), a widely used organic semiconductor, interact with graphene. We analyze the effects of molecular chain length, end-group termination, periodicity, and the distinction between ordered and random P3HT arrangements. For isolated P3HT, the band gap decreases with increasing chain length and layer thickness, while structural disorder leads to slightly larger gaps due to reduced electronic coupling. When P3HT is deposited on graphene, all configurations exhibit spontaneous charge transfer, with electrons accumulating on graphene and holes remaining in the polymer. This effect is significantly enhanced in ordered and fully periodic structures and is noticeably weaker in disordered ones. Charge density analyses further show that thicker and more ordered P3HT layers improve electron hole separation across the interface. Our results reveal how molecular structure governs charge transfer in P3HT-graphene heterojunctions and provide practical guidelines for designing high efficiency polymer-graphene photovoltaic devices.