Spin coated ultrathin PEDOT:PSS/SWCNT film with high electronic conductivity.

ABSTRACT

Conductive Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOTPSS) has been extensively used as non-metallic electrodes. However, the relatively low electrical conductivity of pristine PEDOTPSS film restricts its further application. Although doping high content conductive filler or increasing the film thickness are effective for enhancing the electrical property, the transparency is sacrificed, which limits the application of PEDOTPSS films. In this study, preparing PEDOTPSS composite film with highly conductive and transparent property was the primary purpose. To achieve this goal, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was chosen to composite with PEDOTPSS. The spin-coated SWCNT/PEDOTPSS composite film exhibited excellent electrical conductivity and transparency. The electrical conductivity of composite film with desired transmittance property (78%) reached the highest value (1060.96 S cm-1) at the SWCNTs content was 6 wt%. Under the modification process applied in this work, the non-conductive PSS was partially removed by incorporated DMSO and SWCNTs. Then, the molecular chains of PEDOT stretched and adsorbed onto the surface of SWCNTs, forming a highly efficient three-dimensional conductive structure, which contributed to the enhancement of electrical conductivity and transparency. Additionally, the spin-coating process allowed for the reduction of film thickness, ensuring better transparency. This research contributed to expanding the further applications of PEDOTPSS films in high-performance transparent film electrodes.