Solid state polymerization of 2,5-Dibromo-3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene in poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Matrix

Abstract

The conductive polymer composite film containing poly (3,4-ethylenedioxy thiophene) (PEDOT) was prepared starting from electrospinning the solution mixture of 2,5-dibromo-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (DBEDOT) and poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix on glass slide. After the solvent was removed, the solid state polymerization (SSP) of the DBEDOT crystals embedded in the polymer matrix was then induced by heating at 70-80C. A dark blue composite film containing PEDOT was obtained. It was found that compression during heating produced better dispersed polymer in the film. The conductivity of the composite film reached as high as 42.96 S/cm and continued to increase upon storage at room temperature, which was possibly due to slow polymerization of the remaining monomers. The characteristics of the synthesized PEDOT composite film were determined by fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis.