Selective Vapor-Phase Deposition of Conductive Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) Thin Films on Patterned FeCl3 Formed by Microcontact Printing

Abstract

We demonstrate a selective vapor-phase deposition of conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) thin films on patterned <TEX>$FeCl_3$</TEX>. The PEDOT thin films were grown on various substrates by using the vapor-phase polymerization of ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) with <TEX>$FeCl_3$</TEX> catalytic layers at 325 K. The selective deposition of the PEDOT thin films using vapor-phase polymerization was accomplished with patterned <TEX>$FeCl_3$</TEX> layers as templates. Microcontact printing was done to prepare patterned <TEX>$FeCl_3$</TEX> on polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) substrates. The selective vapor-phase deposition is based on the fact that the PEDOT thin films are selectively deposited only on the regions exposing <TEX>$FeCl_3$</TEX> of the PET substrates, because the EDOT monomer can be polymerized only in the presence of oxidants, such as <TEX>$FeCl_3$</TEX>, Fe(<TEX>$CIO_4$</TEX>), and iron(II) salts of organic acids/inorganic acids containing organic radicals.