An effective approach to enhanced thermoelectric properties of PEDOT:PSS films by a DES post‐treatment

As conventional organic solvents present inherent toxicity, deep eutectic solvents (DES) have been considered as excellent candidates due to their green characteristics. In this work, thermoelectric properties enhancement of PEDOT:PSS films is achieved by introducing DES as an additive and post‐treatment reagent. Direct addition and post‐treatment approaches lead to a maximum Seebeck coefficient of 29.1 μV K^?1 and electrical conductivity of 620.6 S cm^?1, respectively. In addition, an optimal power factor is obtained by DES post‐treatment, reaching up to 24.08 μW m^?1 K^?2, which is approximately four orders of magnitude higher than the pure PEDOT:PSS. Assuming a thermal conductivity of 0.17 W m^?1 K^?1, the maximum ZT value is estimated to be 0.042 at 300 K. Further, atomic force microscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy are performed and suggest that the remarkably enhanced electrical conductivity originates from the removal of the excess insulating PSS and the phase separation between the PEDOT and PSS chains. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 885–892     

Increased work function in PEDOT:PSS film under ultraviolet irradiation

An increase of work function （0.3 eV） is achieved by irradiating poly（3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene）：poly（styrene sul- fonate） （PEDOT：PSS） film in vacuum with 254-nm ultraviolet （UV） light. The mechanism for such an improvement is investigated by photoelectron yield spectroscopy, X-ray photo electron energy spectrum, and field emission technique. Sur- face oxidation and composition change are found as the reasons for work function increase. The UV-treated PEDOT：PSS film is used as the hole injection layer in a hole-only device. Hole injection is improved by UV-treated PEDOT：PSS film without baring the enlargement of film resistance. Our result demonstrates that UV treatment is more suitable for modifying the injection barrier than UV ozone exposure.     

稀释溶剂对PEDOT∶PSS薄膜和有机太阳能电池性能的影响

采用喷涂技术制备聚3,4-乙撑二氧噻吩∶聚苯乙烯磺酸盐(PEDOT∶PSS)有机层薄膜,系统研究了乙醇、去离子水、甲醇、异丙醇和乙二醇等稀释溶剂对PEDOT∶PSS薄膜形貌、透过率及导电性能的影响。将PEDOT∶PSS薄膜应用于有机太阳能电池器件的制备,研究了不同溶剂对器件性能的影响。实验结果表明:采用乙醇稀释PEDOT∶PSS溶液,能有效抑制PEDOT∶PSS颗粒团聚,降低薄膜粗糙度,提高薄膜的透过率和导电性。以其制备的太阳能电池器件的能量转换效率明显高于其他溶剂稀释,转换效率为2.66%。     

Effect of annealing on performance of PEDOT:PSS/n-GaN Schottky solar cells

We develop a heterojunction-based Schottky solar cell consisting of n-type GaN and PEDOT：PSS and also investigate the effect of annealing on the performance of the solar cell. The results show that the open circuit voltage （Voc） increases from 0.54 V to 0.56 V, 0.71 V and 0.82 eV while decreases to 0.69 eV after annealing at 100 ℃, 130 ℃, 160 ℃, and 200 ℃, respectively, which can be ascribed to the change of barrier height of PEDOT：PSS/GaN Schottky contact induced by variation of the work function of the PEDOT：PSS. Furthermore, the conductivity and surface roughness measurements of the PEDOT：PSS indicate that annealing can increase the grain size and improve the connectivity between PEDOT and PSS particles, and cause thermal degradation at the same time, which leads to the rise in short-circuit current density （ISC） up to 160 ℃ and the dropoff in ISC after annealing at 200 ℃.     

Paper: An effective substrate for the enhancement of thermoelectric properties in PEDOT:PSS

A novel strategy via paper as an effective substrate has been introduced as a thermoelectric material in this work. Free‐standing poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)/paper composite films are conveniently prepared by a one‐step method of directly writing PEDOT:PSS solution on paper, making the process simple, rapid, and facile. The free‐standing composite films display excellent flexibility, light weight, soaking stability in water, and great potential in large‐scale production. Improved thermoelectric properties are obtained in PEDOT:PSS/paper composite films, owing to the simultaneously enhanced Seebeck coefficient (30.6 μV K^?1) and electrical conductivity, and a low thermal conductivity (0.16 W m^?1 K^?1) compared with pristine PEDOT:PSS films. The results indicate that paper as an effective substrate is suitable for the preparation of high‐performance and flexible thermoelectric materials. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 737–742     

Effect of sorbitol doping in PEDOT:PSS on the electrical performance of organic photovoltaic devices

Organic photovoltaic cells have important advantages, such as low cost and mechanical flexibility. The conducting polymer poly(3,4 ethylenedioxy-thiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) has been widely used as an interfacial layer or a polymer electrode in polymer electronic devices, such as photovoltaic devices and light-emitting diodes. In this report, we discuss the direct current (DC) conductivity of PEDOT:PSS films containing various weight ratios of sorbitol dopant. The work function is shown to steadily decrease with increasing dopant content. With different dopant contents, illuminated current–voltage photovoltaic characteristics were observed. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) analysis revealed that the work function of the PEDOT:PSS was affected by its sorbitol content. The morphologies of the doped PEDOT:PSS films were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). For the device fabrication, we made organic photovoltaic cells by a spin-coating process and Al deposition by thermal evaporation. The sorbitol dopant is able to improve the efficiency of the device.     

PSS功能化海绵状石墨烯电化学传感灵敏检测瑞香素的研究

通过绿色环保、简单易行的方法合成聚苯乙烯磺酸钠(PSS)功能化的海绵状石墨烯(3D-PSS-rGO),利用紫外-可见吸收光谱及扫描电镜对复合材料进行表征和分析,构筑了基于3D-PSS-rGO复合材料修饰玻碳电极检测瑞香素的电化学传感器。结果表明,3D-PSS-rGO/GCE对瑞香素有较强富集作用,对瑞香素表现出优异的电催化活性。在优化实验条件下,瑞香素浓度在0.08～10.0μmol/L和10.0～60.0μmol/L范围内与其氧化峰电流呈良好的线性关系,检出限(S/N=3)为0.04μmol/L。将该传感用于祖师麻粉中瑞香素含量的检测,回收率为90.0%～96.0%。该研究为中药材中瑞香素含量的测定提供了方法参考。     

Enzymatic‐catalyzed polymerization of water‐soluble electrically conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS

Water‐soluble electrically conductive polymer poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) was synthesized by the enzymatic‐catalyzed method using 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) as monomer, poly(styrenesulfonate) (PSS) as water‐soluble polyelectrolyte, horseradish peroxidase enzyme as catalyst, and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) as oxidant. Fourier transform infrared spectra and UV–vis absorption spectra confirm the successful enzymatic‐catalyzed polymerization of PEDOT. Dynamic light scattering data confirm the formation of a stable PEDOT:PSS aqueous dispersion. The thermo gravimetric data show that the obtained PEDOT is stable over a fairly high range of temperatures. The atomic force microscopy height images show that the PEDOT:PSS aqueous dispersion can form excellent homogeneous and smooth films on various substrates by conventional solution processing techniques, which renders this PEDOT:PSS aqueous dispersion a very promising candidate for various application in electronic devices. This enzymatic polymerization is a new approach for the synthesis of optical and electrical active PEDOT polymer, which benefits simple setting, high yields, and environmental friendly route. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

伪火花放电开关的陶瓷表面放电触发研究

 设计了伪火花开关的陶瓷材料表面放电触发器，该触发器体积小，结构简单，可焙烧。经大量实验表明，较传统的表面放电触发器可靠性提高，寿命延长，用它触发的伪火花开关（放电电压30~2kV）具有稳定的放电时延（50~340ns）和时延抖动（15~40ns）。由于触发电流大，因此可在极低的开关电压下触发开关，对耐受电压30kV的伪火花开关，其最低可触发开关电压可至600V。     

Effects of poly(ethylene glycol) on electrical conductivity of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)–poly(styrenesulfonic acid) film

A series of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)–poly(styrenesulfonic acid) composite thin films with prescribed concentrations of poly(ethylene glycol) were prepared. The PEDOT–PSS pristine film and PEDOT–PSS/PEG films were studied using four-probe method, photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The electrical conductivity of PEDOT–PSS/PEG hybrid films was found to be enhanced compared to the PEDOT–PSS pristine film, depending on the PEG concentration and molecular weight. XPS analysis and AFM results showed that PEG induces the phase separation between the PEDOT–PSS conducting particles and the excessive PSSNa shell. Simultaneously PEG may form hydrogen bond with sulfonic groups of PSSH, and hence weaken the electrostatic interactions between PEDOT cationic chains and PSS anionic chains. These resulted in the creation of a better conduction pathway among PEDOT–PSS particles, attributed to the improvement of conductivity.