Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(4-styrenesulfonate) microfibers

The conducting microfibers of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT/PSS) were fabricated by a wet-spinning technique. When a PEDOT/PSS aqueous solution was extruded into acetone, used as a coagulant, then dehydrated and solidified to form a fiber. At a flow rate of 1-10 μl min−1 using a spinneret with a diameter of 70-180 μm, continuous and meters-long PEDOT/PSS microfibers having a diameter of 6-11 μm could be wound on a winding spool at a speed of about 50 cm min−1. The electrical conductivity of the as-spun microfibers measured by a four-probe method was 0.4-1.0 S cm−1 regardless of the diameter. The electrical and thermal properties of the resulting microfiber were comparable to those of an evaporatively cast film, suggesting the PEDOT/PSS microfibers could be applied to produce fibrous microelectronics devices or artificial muscular filaments for microactuators.