Extended Charge Carrier Lifetimes in Hierarchical Donor–Acceptor Supramolecular Polymer Films

We report that supramolecular polymer films composed of a 2:1 mixture of monodiamidopyridine diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) electron donors and perylene bisdiimide (PDI) electron acceptors undergo photoinduced charge transfer in the solid state. Film formation is guided by complementary noncovalent interactions programmed into the molecular components, resulting in a film architecture comprised of polymer wires with order across the molecular-to-macroscopic continuum. Using ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy, we show that recombination lifetimes increase 1000-fold compared to the same supramolecular polymers in solution. Supramolecular donor–acceptor polymer films, such as these, that are designed by considering structure and electron transfer dynamics synergistically could lead to breakthroughs in organic optoelectronics.