Chemical polymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene in an aqueous mediumcontaining a phenol derivative as an additive

In this paper, we describe poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) prepare d in an aqueous medium containing Fe-2(SO4)(3) and alkylnaphthalenesulfonat e as an oxidant and a dopant, respectively. It is found that the addition o f p-nitrophenol leads to an improvement of the moisture stability of PEDOT as well as an increase in yield. On the other hand, the initial conductivit y of PEDOT decreased slightly. An increase in yield and a decrease in condu ctivity were also observed when other phenol derivatives with a strong elec tron-withdrawing substitute, such as m-nitrophenol and p-cyanophenol, were added. The effects of phenol additives on PEDOT were different from those o n polypyrrole. in which an increase in conductivity and a slight decrease i n yield were observed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.