Fabrication of reduced graphene oxide doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): polystyrene (sulfonate-co-acrylic acid) conductive films with high conductivity and stability

Abstract

Poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): polystyrene sulfonate has been applied widely in various fields due to its excellent mechanical properties and high conductivity, but the dispersion instability limited its further development and application. The storage stability and water resistance of films were improved by making use of the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): polystyrene (sulfonate-co-acrylic acid) (PEDOT:PSA) to play an important role as the conducting component. In this article, the reduced graphene oxide (RGO) doped PEDOT:PSA conductive films were fabricated via carboxyl groups crosslinking between PEDOT:PSA and graphene oxide (GO), followed by chemical reduction of GO with ascorbic acid in the presence of PEDOT:PSA. The carboxylic crosslinking and strong π-π interactions between RGO and PEDOT made films surface more homogeneous and greatly enhanced the conductivity and stability of the films. The conductivity of the films was up to 8.16 S·cm−1 and the electrical resistance changed only 30% after 20 days.