Electrosynthesis of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) microcups in the aqueous solution of LiClO4 and tri(ethylene glycol)

In this paper, we report a novel route for electrochemical growth of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) microcups with diameters in the range of 1-4 μm. In the process, 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) was dispersed as microdroplets in the aqueous solution of LiClO4 and tri(ethylene glycol) (TEG) by sonication. Then, the microdroplets were assembled on the indium tin oxide (ITO) glass electrode modified with multilayers poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) and poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid) (PSS), and polymerized into microcups. The well-ordered microcups stand on the working electrode surface in a density of about 106 units cm−2.