Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) dispersion in water free organic solvents using sulfonated poly(ether sulfone) as new polymeric template

ABSTRACT
Poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) is a class of very good conducting poly�mers widely used in various optoelectronics and other applications. Though PEDOT:PSS is generally dispersed in an aqueous solvent and displays high acidity and hygroscopic characteristics that weaken the device’s perfor�mance and stability. In this regard, we report the preparation of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) (PEDOT) dispersion in water-free organic solvents with the use of post sulfonated poly (ether sulfone) (P-SPES) as a new
polymeric template material. In-situ polymerization of EDOT in P-SPES was carried out using iron(III)p�toluenesulfonate hexahydrate (FePTS) as the oxidant in various non-aqueous solvents resulting in stable dark blue colloidal PEDOT dispersion. The purified PEDOT:P-SPES complex was spin-coated over the glass substrate and checked for conductivity and transmittance. The particle size and roughness of the PEDOT dispersion were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The electrical conductivity was observed at ~0.08 S/cm with a transparency of 94%. The prepared PEDOT dispersion in
organic solvent explores a new pathway for the fabrication of organic electronic devices with water-free pro�cessing as requirement in optoelectronic applications to improve the device performance.