Synthesis of Carboxyl-EDOT as a Versatile Addition and Additive to PEDOT:PSS.

Two-step synthesis of EDOT (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) derivate bearing a carboxylic acid group (carboxyl-EDOT) is presented. This reactive monomer has been copolymerized with EDOT to afford PEDOT copolymers. Thanks to the most common additives usually added to the PEDOT:PSS dispersion, ethylene glycol and 4-dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA), the carboxylic acid has been used to cross-link the material via esterification reactions. This result offers the possibility to produce a polymer network without adding any cross-linking agent. Furthermore, the short synthetic pathway of carboxyl-EDOT offers the possibility to incorporate new functionality either in EDOT monomer or in PEDOT materials with a reasonable chemical effort and background.