Plasmon-enhanced luminescence in MEH-PPV coupled silver nanoantenna arrays and the potential for photovoltaics

A convenient nanotechnique for tailoring light emission properties of poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-p-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) by coupling to resonance-tuned silver nanoantenna arrays is reported. It is revealed experimentally and theoretically that the enhanced photoluminescence of the MEH-PPV/silver nanoantennae complex might have originated from the energy transfer effect in the surface plasmon resonance coupling between the MEH-PPV and silver nanocaps and from a local electromagnetic field enhancement of nanogaps between silver nanocaps in the background of a light-emitting MEH-PPV. Its potential as an effective means for solar cell photon harvesting is also discussed.