Oxidative polymerization of ethylenedioxythiophene with Fenton's reagent by the miniemulsion technique

The polymerization of EDOT to PEDOT in miniemulsion with solid contents up to 10 wt.% is reported by using Fenton's reagent, horseradish peroxidase type II, or sodium peroxodisulfate, respectively, as initiators. The resulting dispersions contain at most 50 wt.% of surfactant (PSS) with respect to solid and are stable at least for weeks. The structure of the polymers is determined by IR, NMR, and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The doping level can be controlled by adopting the oxidation potential of the initiator system. Spin-coated films from the dispersions show conductivities up to 0.01 S cm(-1).