Nanocomposites of single-walled carbon nanotubes and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) for transparent and conductive film

We report a conductive hybrid material composed of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT). The hybridization of SWCNT and PEDOT was achieved by the use of poly(ionic liquid) (PIL), specifically poly(1-vinyl-3-ethylimidazolium) salt as the bridging molecules between the two conductive components. The use of PIL not only allows the formation of effective 3D network of SWCNT bundles in the PEDOT matrix, but also enables the resulting SWCNT-PIL:PEDOT hybrid material to be suspended selectively in water or organic solvents. Thin films of SWCNT-PIL:PEDOT were more conductive as compared to the PEDOT-based films, demonstrating the surface resistivity of 6.2 × 104 Ω/sq and optical transparency of 85.5% at a 0.2 wt.% SWCNT loading. The composites were also found to be thermally stable, showing less change in surface resistivity as compared to PEDOT-based films.

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► A nanocomposite film based on the poly(ionic liquid)-mediated hybridization of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) is presented.
► The hybrid material consisting of SWNT and PEDOT exhibited a uniform 3D network of exfoliated SWNTs in PEDOT matrices.
► The composite films show excellent transparency, high electrical conductivity along with thermal stability.