Scale-up of oCVD: large-area conductive polymer thin films for next-generation electronics

Abstract

Scale up of oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD) is demonstrated. Transparent conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) films were deposited with excellent thickness and compositional uniformity across large areas (exceeding 20 × 30 cm) for the first time. The optical and electronic properties of PEDOT achieved in small scale reactors were also achieved in this large format, as desired for enabling large-scale application of oCVD PEDOT in organic solar cells or organic light-emitting displays at commercially feasible cost. Moreover, conformal and substrate-independent character of oCVD was utilized to fabricate conductive textiles via patterned deposition on t-shirts. The conductivities of the textile up to 32 S cm⁻¹ are among the highest reported for a vapor- or solution-based PEDOT coating, while at the same time exhibiting excellent mechanical durability demonstrated through extensive twisting, stretching, and washing in H₂O. Such functionality combined with deposition versatility opens up novel opportunities for integration of organic electronics into everyday life.