Electrical conductivity of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): p -toluene sulfonate films hybridized with reduced graphene
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NANO EXPRESS
Open Access
Electrical conductivity of poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):p-toluene sulfonate films hybridized with reduced graphene oxide Jun-Taek Lee, Sul-Hwa Choi and Jin-Yeol Kim*
Abstract Reduced graphene oxide-poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):p-toluene sulfonate (rGO-PEDOT:PTS) hybrid electrode films were synthesized directly on a substrate by interfacial polymerization between an oxidizing solid layer and liquid droplets of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) produced by electrospraying. The EDOT reduced the graphene oxide by donating electrons during its transformation into PEDOT:PTS, and hybrid films consisting of rGO distributed in a matrix of PEDOT:PTS were obtained. These rGO-PEDOT:PTS hybrid films showed excellent electrical conductivities as high as 1,500 S/cm and a sheet resistance of 70 Ω sq−1. The conductivity values are up to 50% greater than those of films containing conductive PEDOT:PTS alone. These results confirm that highly conductive rGO-PEDOT:PTS hybrid films can potentially be used as organic transparent electrodes. Keywords: Reduced graphene oxide; Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene); Graphene-polymer hybrid; Transparent conductive electrode; Interfacial polymerization
Background Transparent conductive electrode films, such as indium-tin oxide (ITO), have recently become the focus of considerable research due to their potential applications in optoelectronic devices, such as touch screens, liquid-crystal displays, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), and thinfilm solar cells [1-5]. ITO has been widely utilized and is considered the most effective transparent conductive electrode material because of its relatively low resistivity (approximately 10−4 Ω cm) and work function, qualities that allow the injection and collection of charge carriers within semiconductors. However, ITO cracks easily during repeated use because of its brittle nature [6,7], has a low optical transmittance in the near-infrared range, has a high refractive index, and requires high processing temperatures [8-10]. The flexibility of ITO electrode films is largely limited by the brittleness of the material. The transparent electrodes made of different materials, including carbon nanotubes, graphene, and conducting * Correspondence: [email protected] School of Advanced Materials Engineering, Kookmin University, Seoul 136-702, South Korea
polymers, are required to improve the mechanical performance of the devices. In particular, cheap, flexible, and solution-processed materials are required for use in emerging electronic devices such as flexible displays. One of the objectives of research in this field is the development of high-performance electronic devices that are made entirely of plastic. However, before such technology can be realized, it is necessary to produce organic electrode materials with conductivities and stabilities comparable to those of ITO. To find a substitute for ITO, much effort is currently being devoted to electrically conductive polymers such as poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly
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