Evaluation of SOCl2 doping effect on electrical conductivity of thin films of SWNTs and SWNT/PEDOT-PSS composites

Transparent conductive thin films of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and their nanocomposites with an organic conductive polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT-PSS) with different CNT loadings ranging from 20 to 90 wt% were prepared and doped by exposing them to thionyl chloride (SOCl2) vapors. After exposure to SOCl2 vapor for 1 h, the SWNT film showed about 15-18% increase of electrical conductivity, while on the other hand pristine polymer film showed a decrease of electrical conductivity. The SWNT-polymer composite films showed a drastic increase in conductivity by doping with SOCl2 vapor, most interestingly, the doping effect was much higher for composite films with less CNT weight fraction and it was linearly decreased with increasing CNT loading. For instance, composite film with 10% and 90% CNT loading demonstrated about 65% and 10% increase of electrical conductivity, respectively. The interaction of SOCl2 vapors on SWNTs and composite films is investigated by UV-visible absorption and Raman spectroscopy.