Processing-Structure-Function Relationships of Polymer-Acid-Templated Conducting Polymers for Solid-State Devices

This chapter focuses on Polyaniline (PANI) and poly(3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) due to their pervasiveness. It draws on different processing techniques that impact the morphology of the as-synthesized conducting polymer complexes at different length scales to manipulate their electrical, optical, and mechanical properties. Incorporation of polymer acid dopants/counterions in place of small-molecule acids adds to their ambient stability given the non-volatile nature of polymer acids. The molecular level interactions and their interactions with the solvent medium during synthesis then dictate the nano/mesoscale morphology of PANI-poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) in the solid-state. The polymer acids introduce water dispersibility to the conducting polymer complex given the presence of excess acid pendant groups. The hierarchical and heterogeneous structure of conducting polymer complexes at different length scales make them very sensitive to synthesis and processing conditions. To increase throughput during manufacturing, common thin-film deposition techniques, such as roll-to-roll printing, airbrushing, and spin coating, tend to take place quickly.