Different properties for poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) films derived from single or multiple polymerization steps

Films of poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) were prepared with single and multiple electropolymerization steps, where the numbers of polymerization steps (n's) were 3, 5, and 7, with identical experimental conditions and total polymerization times (τ's). The electroactivity of the films prepared with multiple steps remained almost unaltered when n increased, with the ability of the films to store charge with n > 3 being smaller than that of the films with similar thicknesses but derived from a single electrodeposition step. In contrast, the stability of the films produced with n polymerization steps was significantly higher than that of the films derived from a single step with the same τ, with the difference between the two systems increasing with n, that is, τ used to yield the films. On the other hand, although the morphological and topological characteristics of the surface and the electrical conductivity were affected by the procedure used to produce the films, the organization of the polymer molecules in the crystalline phase, the thermal stability, and the electronic properties (ionization potential, electron affinity, and lowest π–π* transition energy) were practically identical in both cases. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011