Redox-active charge carriers of conducting polymers as a tuner of conductivity and its potential window

Sci Rep. 2013:3:2454. doi: 10.1038/srep02454.

Abstract

Electric conductivity of conducting polymers has been steadily enhanced towards a level worthy of being called its alias, "synthetic metal". PEDOT:PSS (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(styrene sulfonate)), as a representative conducting polymer, recently reached around 3,000 S cm(-1), the value to open the possibility to replace transparent conductive oxides. The leading strategy to drive the conductivity increase is solvent annealing in which aqueous solution of PEDOT:PSS is treated with an assistant solvent such as DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide). In addition to the conductivity enhancement, we found that the potential range in which PEDOT:PSS is conductive is tuned wider into a negative potential direction by the DMSO-annealing. Also, the increase in a redox-active fraction of charge carriers is proposed to be responsible for the enhancement of conductivity in the solvent annealing process.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Dimethyl Sulfoxide / chemistry*
  • Electric Conductivity
  • Electron Transport
  • Hardness
  • Materials Testing
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Polystyrenes / chemistry*
  • Thiophenes / chemistry*

Substances

  • Polystyrenes
  • Thiophenes
  • poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate)
  • Dimethyl Sulfoxide