Name: reactive vapor deposition of conjugated polymer films on arbitrary substrates
Uploaded: 2018-01-17T10:55:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Reactive Vapor Deposition of Conjugated Polymer Films on Arbitrary Substrates at JoVE.com

The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research, under agreement number FA9550-14-1-0128. T. L. A. also gratefully acknowledges partial support by the David and Lucille Packard Foundation.

Read MSDS for reagents and follow all chemical safety measures as required by your institution.
1. Deposition of Cl-PProDOT and Cl-PTT
<ol>
	<li>Build the structure of the custom-built tubular vapor deposition chamber as shown in Figure 1.
	<ol>
		<li>Make a 1/4-in. (outer diameter, O.D.) fused quartz side inlet to a 2-in. (O.D.) fused quartz tube. Make a cold trap with a custom-built U-shape 1-in. stainless-steel tube and a Dewar flask.</li>
		<li>Connect the q...

<ol>
	<li>Kaltenbrunner, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Ultrathin+and+lightweight+organic+solar+cells+with+high+flexibility.">Ultrathin and lightweight organic solar cells with high flexibility.</a> Nat. Commun. 3, 770 (2012).</li><li>Savagatrup, S., Printz, A. D., O'Connor, T. F., Zaretski, A. V., Lipomi, D. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Molecularly+Stretchable+Electronics.">Molecularly Stretchable Electronics.</a> Chem. Mater. 26, 3028-3041 (2014).</li><li>Lee, J. -. Y., Connor, S. T., Cui, Y., Peumans, P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Semitransparent+Organic+Photovoltaic+Cells+with+Laminated+Top+Electrode.">Semitransparent Organic Photovoltaic Cells with Laminated Top Electrode.</a> Nano Lett. 10, 1276-1279 (2010).</li><li>Kaltenbrunner, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=An+ultra-lightweight+design+for+imperceptible+plastic+electronics.">An ultra-lightweight design for imperceptible plastic electronics.</a> Nature. 499, 458-463 (2013).</li><li>Jost, K., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Carbon+coated+textiles+for+flexible+energy+storage.">Carbon coated textiles for flexible energy storage.</a> Energy Environ. Sci. 4, 5060-5067 (2011).</li><li>Hu, L., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Stretchable,+Porous,+and+Conductive+Energy+Textiles.">Stretchable, Porous, and Conductive Energy Textiles.</a> Nano Lett. 10, 708-714 (2010).</li><li>Jost, K., Dion, G., Gogotsi, Y. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Textile+energy+storage+in+perspective.">Textile energy storage in perspective.</a> J. Mater. Chem. A. 2, 10776-10787 (2014).</li><li>Ding, Y., Invernale, M. A., Sotzing, G. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Conductivity+Trends+of+PEDOT-PSS+Impregnated+Fabric+and+the+Effect+of+Conductivity+on+Electrochromic+Textile.">Conductivity Trends of PEDOT-PSS Impregnated Fabric and the Effect of Conductivity on Electrochromic Textile.</a> ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces. 2, 1588-1593 (2010).</li><li>Hong, K. H., Oh, K. W., Kang, T. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Preparation+and+properties+of+electrically+conducting+textiles+by+in+situ+polymerization+of+poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene).">Preparation and properties of electrically conducting textiles by in situ polymerization of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene).</a> J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 97, 1326-1332 (2005).</li><li>Xu, J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Fabric+electrodes+coated+with+polypyrrole+nanorods+for+flexible+supercapacitor+application+prepared+via+a+reactive+self-degraded+template.">Fabric electrodes coated with polypyrrole nanorods for flexible supercapacitor application prepared via a reactive self-degraded template.</a> Org. Electron. 26, 292-299 (2015).</li><li>Du, Y., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Thermoelectric+Fabrics:+Toward+Power+Generating+Clothing.">Thermoelectric Fabrics: Toward Power Generating Clothing.</a> Sci. Rep. 5, 6411 (2015).</li><li>Yatvin, J., Sherman, S. A., Filocamo, S. F., Locklin, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Direct+functionalization+of+Kevlar[registered+sign]+with+copolymers+containing+sulfonyl+nitrenes.">Direct functionalization of Kevlar[registered sign] with copolymers containing sulfonyl nitrenes.</a> Polym. Chem. 6, 3090-3097 (2015).</li><li>Musumeci, C., Hutchison, J. A., Samori, P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Controlling+the+morphology+of+conductive+PEDOT+by+in+situ+electropolymerization:+from+thin+films+to+nanowires+with+variable+electrical+properties.">Controlling the morphology of conductive PEDOT by in situ electropolymerization: from thin films to nanowires with variable electrical properties.</a> Nanoscale. 5, 7756-7761 (2013).</li><li>Allison, L., Hoxie, S., Andrew, T. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Towards+seamlessly-integrated+textile+electronics:+methods+to+coat+fabrics+and+fibers+with+conducting+polymers+for+electronic+applications.">Towards seamlessly-integrated textile electronics: methods to coat fabrics and fibers with conducting polymers for electronic applications.</a> Chem. Commun. 53, 7182-7193 (2017).</li><li>Alf, M. E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Chemical+Vapor+Deposition+of+Conformal,+Functional,+and+Responsive+Polymer+Films.">Chemical Vapor Deposition of Conformal, Functional, and Responsive Polymer Films.</a> Adv. Mater. 22, 1993-2027 (2010).</li><li>Goktas, H., Wang, X., Boscher, N. D., Torosian, S., Gleason, K. K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Functionalizable+and+electrically+conductive+thin+films+formed+by+oxidative+chemical+vapor+deposition+(oCVD)+from+mixtures+of+3-thiopheneethanol+(3TE)+and+ethylene+dioxythiophene+(EDOT).">Functionalizable and electrically conductive thin films formed by oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD) from mixtures of 3-thiopheneethanol (3TE) and ethylene dioxythiophene (EDOT).</a> J. Mater. Chem. C. 4, 3403-3414 (2016).</li><li>Sadki, S., Schottland, P., Brodie, N., Sabouraud, G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+mechanisms+of+pyrrole+electropolymerization.">The mechanisms of pyrrole electropolymerization.</a> Chem. Soc. Rev. 29, 283-293 (2000).</li><li>Bhattacharyya, D., Howden, R. M., Borrelli, D. C., Gleason, K. K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Vapor+phase+oxidative+synthesis+of+conjugated+polymers+and+applications.">Vapor phase oxidative synthesis of conjugated polymers and applications.</a> J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 50, 1329-1351 (2012).</li><li>Yamato, H., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Synthesis+of+free-standing+poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)+conducting+polymer+films+on+a+pilot+scale.">Synthesis of free-standing poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) conducting polymer films on a pilot scale.</a> Synth. Met. 83, 125-130 (1996).</li><li>Cheng, N., Zhang, L., Joon Kim, J., Andrew, T. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Vapor+phase+organic+chemistry+to+deposit+conjugated+polymer+films+on+arbitrary+substrates.">Vapor phase organic chemistry to deposit conjugated polymer films on arbitrary substrates.</a> J. Mater. Chem. C. 5, 5787-5796 (2017).</li><li>Borrelli, D. C., Lee, S., Gleason, K. K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Optoelectronic+properties+of+polythiophene+thin+films+and+organic+TFTs+fabricated+by+oxidative+chemical+vapor+deposition.">Optoelectronic properties of polythiophene thin films and organic TFTs fabricated by oxidative chemical vapor deposition.</a> J. Mater. Chem. C. 2, 7223-7231 (2014).</li><li>Jo, W. J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Oxidative+Chemical+Vapor+Deposition+of+Neutral+Hole+Transporting+Polymer+for+Enhanced+Solar+Cell+Efficiency+and+Lifetime.">Oxidative Chemical Vapor Deposition of Neutral Hole Transporting Polymer for Enhanced Solar Cell Efficiency and Lifetime.</a> Adv. Mater. 28, 6399-6404 (2016).</li><li>Wang, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=CVD+Polymers+for+Devices+and+Device+Fabrication.">CVD Polymers for Devices and Device Fabrication.</a> Adv. Mater. 29, 1604606 (2017).</li><li>Kovacik, P., Hierro, G. d., Livernois, W., Gleason, K. K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Scale-up+of+oCVD:+large-area+conductive+polymer+thin+films+for+next-generation+electronics.">Scale-up of oCVD: large-area conductive polymer thin films for next-generation electronics.</a> Mater. Horiz. 2, 221-227 (2015).</li><li>Barr, M. C., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Direct+Monolithic+Integration+of+Organic+Photovoltaic+Circuits+on+Unmodified+Paper.">Direct Monolithic Integration of Organic Photovoltaic Circuits on Unmodified Paper.</a> Adv. Mater. 23, 3500-3505 (2011).</li></ol>

The mechanism of the reaction is oxidative polymerization. Polymer coating methods using the same mechanism include electropolymerization17 and vapor phase polymerization18. Electropolymerization requires a conductive substrate, lacks the advantage of uniform and conformal coating, and is an environmentally-unfriendly solution-based method19. The existing vapor phase polymerization method is similar to the method reported here but can only polymerize...

Polymeric conducting and semiconducting materials have unique properties, such as flexibility1, stretchability2, transparency3, and low density,4 which provide extraordinary opportunities for creating next-generation electronic devices on nontraditional substrates. Currently, many researchers are endeavoring to take advantage of the unique properties of polymeric materials to create flexible and/or wearable electronics5,6 and smart textiles7. However, the ability to conformally coat highly textured surfaces and non-robust substrates, such as paper, fabrics and threads/yarns, remains unmastered. Most commonly, polymers are synthesized and coated on surfaces using solution methods.8,9,10,11,12 Although solution methods provide polymer coated fibers/textiles, the coatings thus obtained are often non-uniform and easily damaged by small physical stresses13,14 . Solution methods are also not applicable to coating paper because of wetting problems.
Reactive vapor deposition can create conformal conjugated polymer films on a diverse range of substrates, irrespective of surface chemistry/composition, surface energy and surface roughness/topography15. In this approach, conjugated polymers are synthesized in the vapor phase by simultaneously delivering monomer and oxidant vapors to a surface. Polymerization and film formation occurs on the surface in a single, solvent-free step. This method is theoretically applicable to any conjugated polymer that can be synthesized by oxidative polymerization using solution methods. However, to date, protocols for depositing only a narrow set of conjugated polymer structures are known.15
Here, we demonstrate the deposition of conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and poly(3,4-propylenedioxythiophene) (PProDOT), and semiconducting poly(thieno[3,2-b]thiophene) (PTT) films via reactive vapor deposition. Two kinds of oxidants, solid FeCl3 and liquid Br2, are used in the process. The corresponding polymers are named Cl-PProDOT, Cl-PTT, and Br-PEDOT. Both conventional substrates, glass slides, and unconventional textured substrates, such as paper, towels and fabrics, were coated with the polymer films.
This protocol describes the setup of the custom-built vapor deposition chamber and the details of the deposition process. It is intended to help new practitioners to build their deposition system and avoid common pitfalls associated with vapor-phase synthesis.

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene, 97%</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>483028</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>3,4-Propylenedioxythiophene, 97%</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>660485</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Thieno[3,2-b]thiophene, 95%</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>702668</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FeCl3, 97%</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>157740</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Br2</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>207888</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

reactive vapor deposition of conjugated polymer films on arbitrary substrates

We demonstrate a method of conformally coating conjugated polymers on arbitrary substrates using a custom-designed, low-pressure reaction chamber. Conductive polymers, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and poly(3,4-propylenedioxythiophene) (PProDOT), and a semiconducting polymer, poly(thieno[3,2-b]thiophene) (PTT), were deposited on unconventional highly-disordered and textured substrates with high surface areas, such as paper, towels and fabrics. This reported deposition chamber is an improvement of previous vapor reactors because our system can accommodate both volatile and nonvolatile monomers, such as 3,4-propylenedioxythiophene and thieno[3,2-b]thiophene. Utilization of both solid and liquid oxidants are also demonstrated. One limitation of this method is that it lacks sophisticated in situ thickness monitors. Polymer coatings made by the commonly used solution-based coating methods, such as spin-coating and surface grafting, are often not uniform or susceptible to mechanical degradation. This reported vapor phase deposition method overcomes those drawbacks and is a strong alternative to common solution-based coating methods. Notably, polymer films coated by the reported method are uniform and conformal on rough surfaces, even at a micrometer scale. This feature allows for future application of vapor deposited polymers in electronics devices on flexible and highly textured substrates.

The thickness of Cl-PProDOT films formed on 1.3 cm x 2.5 cm glass slides placed at discrete lateral positions along the central tube were measured by a profilometer (Figure 3). Conductivities were calculated from resistivity measurements using a home-built four-point probe test station. The measured conductivity of a 100-nm thick Cl-PProDOT film on glass slides is 106 S/cm, which is sufficient to qualify this film as a potential electrode material. <strong cl...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Reactive Vapor Deposition of Conjugated Polymer Films on Arbitrary Substrates at JoVE.com

Reactive Vapor Deposition of Conjugated Polymer Films on Arbitrary Substrates

This paper presents a protocol for reactive vapor deposition of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), poly(3,4-propylenedioxythiophene), and poly(thieno[3,2-b]thiophene) films on glass slides and rough substrates, such as textiles and paper.

We demonstrate a method of conformally coating conjugated polymers on arbitrary substrates using a custom-designed, low-pressure reaction chamber. ...

Research

JoVE Journal

Chemistry

Preparation of Hydrophobic Metal-Organic Frameworks via Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition of Perfluoroalkanes for the Removal of Ammonia

Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) of perfluoroalkanes has long been studied for tuning the wetting properties of surfaces. For high ...

A Technique to Functionalize and Self-assemble Macroscopic Nanoparticle-ligand Monolayer Films onto Template-free Substrates

This protocol describes a self-assembly technique to create macroscopic monolayer films composed of ligand-coated nanoparticles1,2. The simple, robust and ...

Fabrication of Large-area Free-standing Ultrathin Polymer Films

This procedure describes a method for the fabrication of large-area and ultrathin free-standing polymer films.  Typically, ultrathin films are prepared ...

Chemical Vapor Deposition of an Organic Magnet, Vanadium Tetracyanoethylene

Recent progress in the field of organic materials has yielded devices such as organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) which have advantages not found in ...

Layer-by-layer Synthesis and Transfer of Freestanding Conjugated Microporous Polymer Nanomembranes

CMP as large surface area materials have attracted growing interest recently, due to their high variability in the incorporation of functional groups in ...

Preparation of Macroporous Epitaxial Quartz Films on Silicon by Chemical Solution Deposition

This work describes the detailed protocol for preparing piezoelectric macroporous epitaxial quartz films on silicon(100) substrates. This is a three-step ...

Capillary Electrophoresis to Monitor Peptide Grafting onto Chitosan Films in Real Time

Free-solution capillary electrophoresis (CE) separates analytes, generally charged compounds in solution through the application of an electric field. ...

Low Pressure Vapor-assisted Solution Process for Tunable Band Gap Pinhole-free Methylammonium Lead Halide Perovskite Films

Organo-lead halide perovskites have recently attracted great interest for potential applications in thin-film photovoltaics and optoelectronics. Herein, ...

Aerosol-assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition of Metal Oxide Structures: Zinc Oxide Rods

Whilst columnar zinc oxide (ZnO) structures in the form of rods or wires have been synthesized previously by different liquid- or vapor-phase routes, ...

Monitoring the Effects of Illumination on the Structure of Conjugated Polymer Gels Using Neutron Scattering

We demonstrate a protocol to effectively monitor the gelation process of a high concentration solution of conjugated polymer both in the presence and ...