Highly Conductive PEDOT:PSS Thin Films with Two-Dimensional Lamellar Stacked Multi-Layers

Conjugated polymers are desired as organic electrode materials because of their functional properties such as solution process, low cost, and transparency. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), in particular, shows the highest applicability, but its heterogeneous struc...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Youngno Kim, Yunryeol Kim, Jung Hyun Kim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-11-01
Series:Nanomaterials
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/10/11/2211
Description
Summary:Conjugated polymers are desired as organic electrode materials because of their functional properties such as solution process, low cost, and transparency. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), in particular, shows the highest applicability, but its heterogeneous structure presents limitations in terms of electrical conductivity. In this study, a facile method to fabricate multi-layered thin films with higher ordered structures was developed. Through the etching process with H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub> and dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO), the insulated rich-PSS was removed from the upper layer to improve its electrical properties and rearrange the PEDOT molecular structures. The thickness of PEDOT:PSS thin films was experimentally optimized to maximize the enhancement of carrier mobility via a layer-by-layer (LBL) process. The combined method, consisted of etching and the LBL process, showed the improvement of the charge carrier mobility from 0.62 to 2.80 cm<sup>2</sup> V<sup>−1</sup> s<sup>−1</sup>. The morphology and crystallinity of the ordered PEDOT:PSS structure were investigated by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), Raman, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). As a result, two-dimensional lamellar-stacked PEDOT:PSS thin films were fabricated through the repetitive etching and LBL process. The optimized PEDOT:PSS thin film showed an excellent electrical conductivity of 3026 S cm<sup>−1</sup>, which is 3.8 times higher than that of the pristine film (801 S cm<sup>−1</sup>).
ISSN:2079-4991