Highly conductive PEDOT:PSS electrode films hybridized with gold-nanoparticle-doped-carbon nanotubes

•Improved conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxy thiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) electrode films.•Hybridization of gold-nanoparticle-doped single-walled carbon nanotubes and PEDOT:PSS chains.•The excellent performance with a low sheet resistance of 50 Ω/sq. at 85% transparent.

Improved conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) electrode films were made through hybridization with gold-nanoparticle-doped single-walled carbon nanotubes (Au-doped SWCNTs). Hybrid layers consisting of PEDOT:PSS chains interconnected between Au-doped SWCNT random networks were found to have up to three times better conductivity than layers containing PEDOT:PSS alone. Various concentrations of gold nanoparticles 5–10 nm in size were incorporated into the walls of the CNTs. The optimized PEDOT:PSS/Au doped-SWCNT films showed excellent performance with a low sheet resistance of 50 Ω/sq. at 85% transparence when PEDOT:PSS was hybridized with 1–2 wt% Au-doped SWCNTs.

Graphical abstractSynthesis of hybrid network films interconnected by conducting PEDOT:PSS chains between the Au-doped SWCNT networks. These hybrid films were found to have up to three times better conductivity than layers containing PEDOT:PSS alone. The optimized PEDOT:PSS/Au doped-SWCNT films showed excellent performance with a low sheet resistance of 50 Ω/sq. at 85% transparence when PEDOT:PSS was hybridized with 1–2 wt% Au-doped SWCNTs.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide