Gold electroless deposition into poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene films

By electroless deposition of gold into poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT) films, the composite films (PEDOT-Au) are synthesized. Their electrochemical properties are studied by cyclic voltammetric (CVA) method. It is shown that in contrast to the original PEDOT film, the CVA curves of composite PEDOT-Au films measured in the presence of chloride ions reveal additional redox peaks associated with the presence of gold particles. The loading of metal gold particles by its chemical deposition into the polymer film is quantitatively assessed using quartz crystal microbalance method. The film mass is shown to depend on the time of gold loading and its original concentration in solution. The gold particles are shown to be oxidized by a reaction of the first order with respect to chloride ions. Based on the results of voltammetric and microbalance methods, the formation of a poorly soluble gold oxidation product Au(I)Cl in chloride-containing solutions was inferred.