Photophysics of poly(ethylene terephthalate): Ultraviolet absorption and emission

Polarized and unpolarized emission spectra for poly(ethylene terephthalate) are presented, and a new phosphorescence peak at 564 nm is reported. The spectroscopically parametrized CNDO/S3 model is used to provide a detailed description of the absorption and monomeric emission. Moreover, preliminary computations on an idealized terephthalate dimer indicate that the 368-nm fluorescence and the newly reported phosphorescence emission may be attributable to an associated ground-state dimer. © 1991 American Chemical Society.