Fabrication of conductive paper coated with PEDOT: Preparation and characterization

Abstract

Conductive polymers have been studied extensively because of their attractive physical properties, such as conductivity, luminescent performance, and dielectric property. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) is one of the most employed conductive polymers for applications, such as a buffer layer of organic electroluminescent devices, due to its high conductivity and electrical stability. In this study, we fabricated a conductive paper coated with PEDOT by direct polymerization onto a paper sheet. The conductive paper exhibited the electrical conductivity of 1.8 S/cm. Scanning electron microscopy images of the conductive paper showed two structures: thin polymer membranes attached to cellulose fibers at the surfaces, and thick polymer sheets extended through the void spaces between the fibers in the inner layers. Consequently, strong interactions between the PEDOT and the cellulose fibers enhanced mechanical properties of the conductive paper. Electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA) revealed distribution elemental maps of carbon, oxygen, sulfur, chlorine, and iron on the conductive paper. © ACA and OCCA 2011.