A Quick and Facile Solution-Processed Method for PEDOT:PSS Transparent Conductive Thin Film

Mei Bao Lee; Chiew Tin Lee; William Woei Fong Chong; Suhaila Mohd  Sanip

doi:10.31436/iiumej.v24i1.2382

Authors

Mei Bao Lee Universiti Teknologi Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6030-2778
Chiew Tin Lee University of Technology Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1408-3962
William Woei Fong Chong https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0338-3137
Suhaila Mohd Sanip University of Southampton Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31436/iiumej.v24i1.2382

Keywords:

PEDOT:PSS, Thin film, Sheet resistance, Transmittance, Figure of merit

Abstract

PEDOT:PSS is a conducting organic polymer widely studied for a transparent conductive electrode. The conventional method to fabricate PEDOT:PSS thin film involves a post-treatment process entailing dipping into strong and toxic saturated acid to enhance the film’s conductivity. Eliminating the post-treatment process reduces excess strong saturated acid or solvent waste, shortening the fabricating time by half. Therefore, this study presents a quick and facile solution-processed method for fabricating the PEDOT:PSS transparent conductive thin film (without a post-treatment process) while still achieving the requirements for a transparent conductive electrode (TCE). A parametric study was conducted by adding 5 wt% to 80 wt% of benzene sulfonic acid (BA) to PEDOT:PSS during the formulation stage before being dried at elevated temperatures from 80 °C to 200 °C. The optimum sheet resistance and transmittance value could be achieved for a thin film fabricated from PEDOT:PSS added with 40 wt% of BA, and dried at 120 °C. The sheet resistance and transmittance values are 80 ?/sq and 93.6%, respectively. The generated figure of merit (FOM) value is 70.1, indicating an improvement of almost five times compared to the FOM value of 14.6 generated using the conventional method, requiring a post-treatment process.

ABSTRAK: PEDOT:PSS adalah bahan polimer organik yang mengkonduksi arus dan dikaji secara meluas bagi digunakan sebagai elektrod konduktif telus. Kaedah konvensional untuk menghasilkan filem nipis PEDOT:PSS melibatkan proses pasca rawatan iaitu dengan mencelupkan filem nipis PEDOT:PSS ke dalam asid pekat bertoksik bagi meningkatkan konduksi filem tersebut. Tanpa proses pasca rawatan ini dapat mengurangkan penghasilan sisa lebihan seperti asid pekat bertoksik atau pelarut buangan, memendekkan masa fabrikasi sebanyak separuh. Oleh itu, kajian ini menghasilkan kaedah proses-penyelesaian yang cepat dan mudah bagi fabrikasi filem nipis PEDOT:PSS (tanpa proses pasca rawatan) disamping masih mencapai keperluan sebagai elektrod konduktif telus (TCE). Kajian parametrik telah dijalankan dengan menambah 5 wt% hingga 80 wt% asid sulfonik benzena (BA) ke dalam PEDOT:PSS pada peringkat percampuran kimia sebelum dikeringkan pada kenaikan suhu secara berperingkat dari 80 °C sehingga 200 °C. Nilai optimum bagi rintangan lapisan dan nilai ketelusan bagi filem nipis PEDOT:PSS yang difabrikasi dapat dicapai melalui penambahan sebanyak 40 wt% BA dan dikeringkan pada suhu 120 °C. Rintangan lapisan dan nilai ketelusan telah dicapai sebanyak 80 ?/sq dan 93.6%, masing-masing. Nilai gambaran merit (FOM) yang terhasil adalah 70.1, menunjukkan peningkatan hampir lima kali ganda berbanding nilai FOM 14.6 yang terhasil menggunakan kaedah konvensional yang memerlukan proses pasca-rawatan.

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