10th International Aerosol Conference
September 2 - September 7, 2018
America's Center Convention Complex
St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Abstract View


High Throughput Synthesis of Aerosolized Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) Nanoparticles for Water Dispersible Colloids

Lu Yang, Clayton Kacica, Shinjita Acharya, Yifan Diao, Luciano Santino, Hongmin Wang, Pratim Biswas, JULIO D'ARCY, Washington University in St. Louis

     Abstract Number: 1629
     Working Group: Aerosol Chemistry

Abstract
The conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) is an organic electronic that serves as the active species in a plethora of applications for storing and harvesting energy as well as for sensing biological reactions. Moreover, this flexible soft material is characterized by high physical and chemical stability and a controllable and reversible doping mechanism that results in robust device performance. Current synthetic strategies for producing PEDOT employ a radical oxidative polymerization that is commonly carried out via solution oxidation synthesis, electrochemistry, or vapor phase deposition. Here we demonstrate a cutting edge route for making PEDOT using aerosolized aqueous droplets of the oxidant FeCl3 that react with vapors of the monomer 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene inside a tube reactor. Our scalable and continuous high throughput approach results in spherical nanoparticles of PEDOT that are electrically conducting with a 300 ohm surface resistance; PEDOT nanoparticles are dispersible in water without the need of additives or surfactants. Colloids produced are stabilized by the polymer surface charge and solution processed to fabricate electrochemically active electrodes that store energy. Here we correlate polymerization kinetics and residence time to a polymer’s crystal structure and its electrochemical activity in pseudocapacitors. Our work demonstrates high throughput processing of 500 nm diameter particles in gram quantities for delivering both high energy and power densities. We believe that this aerosol synthesis paves the way for a new route to producing this commercially important soft material and highlights the versatility of aerosol synthesis for producing the next generation of conducting polymer nanostructures.