Scale-up of oCVD: large-area conductive polymer thin films for next-generation electronics

Scale up of oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD) is demonstrated. Transparent conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) films were deposited with excellent thickness and compositional uniformity across large areas (exceeding 20 x 30 cm) for the first time. The optical and electronic properties of PEDOT achieved in small scale reactors were also achieved in this large format, as desired for enabling large-scale application of oCVD PEDOT in organic solar cells or organic light-emitting displays at commercially feasible cost. Moreover, conformal and substrate-independent character of oCVD was utilized to fabricate conductive textiles via patterned deposition on t-shirts. The conductivities of the textile up to 32 S cm(-1) are among the highest reported for a vapor-or solution-based PEDOT coating, while at the same time exhibiting excellent mechanical durability demonstrated through extensive twisting, stretching, and washing in H2O. Such functionality combined with deposition versatility opens up novel opportunities for integration of organic electronics into everyday life.