PREPARATION OF CONDUCTIVE PAPER VIA IN SITU POLYMERIZATION OF 3,4-ETHYLENEDIOXYTHIOPHENE

In recent years, conductive paper produced by in situ chemical polymerization of pyrrole and aniline in aqueous electrolytes has aroused a great interest. The in situ chemical polymerization process is a process in which a monomer such as aniline or pyrrole is polymerized in the presence of pulp fibers. This approach can not only impart to paper specific functions, but also provide a new possibility for the processing and utilization of conductive polymers. In this study, by using iron(III) p-toluenesulfonate as both an oxidant and a dopant source, conductive paper was prepared via in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene in pulp suspension. The factors affecting the conductivity of the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-coated paper were investigated, and the preparation conditions of the conductive paper with low resistivity and excellent environmental stability were obtained. The color of the resulting cellulose fibers was greatly dependent on the preparation conditions. The optimum reaction temperature and time were 60 t and 4 h, respectively. The molar ratio of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene to iron(III) p-toluenesulfonate of 1:1 was optimal when considering both cost and performance factors. The conductivity of the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) coated paper could be controlled by adjusting 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene concentration. The threshold concentration of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene was about 3 g/L. A volume resistivity as low as 5.9x 10(3) acm could be achieved with 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene concentration of 3 g/L, which reached the conductivity range of electrostatic conductor. The environmental stability of the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-coated conductive paper was very good due to the much higher oxidation potential of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) compared with most other conducting polymers.