Conductive composition and method for manufacturing same, and conductor and method for manufacturing same

A conductive composition, comprising:

• a purified mixture of a conductive polymer (A) and a basic compound (B), wherein the conductive polymer (A) comprises, in polymerized form, in a range of from 20 to 100 mol. % relative to all repeating units, phenylene vinylene, vinylene, thienylene, pyrrolylene, phenylene, iminophenylene, isothianaphthene, furylene, and/or carbazolylene, each having its α position or β position substituted with at least one group selected from the group consisting of a sulfonic acid group and a carboxylic acid group, wherein the basic compound (B) comprises a quaternary ammonium compound (b-1), a basic compound (b-2) comprising a nitrogen atom other than the quaternary ammonium compound (b-1), and/or a basic compound (b-3) comprising a basic group, a first hydroxy group, and a second hydroxy group in the same molecule, and having a melting point of 30° C. or higher,
• wherein the basic compound (B) is present in the conductive composition in a range of from 0.1 to 1 mol equivalent, with respect to 1 mol of units having an acidic group in the conductive polymer (A),
• wherein the conductive polymer (A) is at least partially neutralized with the basic compound (B) and forms a salt between the sulfonic acid group and/or carboxylic acid group and the basic compound (B),
• wherein a ZS/ZR ratio is 20 or less,
• wherein ZS is a maximum value of fluorescence intensity in a wavelength region in a range of from 320 to 420 nm when a fluorescence spectrum is measured using a spectrofluorometer at an excitation wavelength of 230 nm with respect to a measurement solution obtained by diluting the conductive composition with water so as to adjust a solids content of the conductive polymer (A) to 0.6% by mass, and
• wherein ZR is a maximum value of Raman scattering intensity in a wavelength region in a range of from 380 to 420 nm when a fluorescence spectrum of water is measured using a spectrofluorometer at an excitation wavelength of 350 nm.

A method for producing a conductive composition, the method comprising:

• heat-treating a mixed solution comprising a conductive polymer (A) and a basic compound (B);
• and
• purifying the heat-treated mixed solution so as to obtain a purified mixed solution having a ZS/ZR ratio of 20 or less, or having an X/Y area ratio of 0.046 or less as calculated by an evaluation method comprising:
• (i) preparing a test solution by dissolving the purified mixed solution in an eluent having a pH adjusted to 10 or more so as to adjust a solids content of the conductive polymer (A) to 0.1% by mass,
• (ii) measuring a molecular weight distribution of the test solution using a polymer material evaluation device equipped with a gel permeation chromatograph to obtain a chromatogram,
• (iii) converting retention times into sodium polystyrene sulfonate-equivalent molecular weight values (M) with respect to the chromatogram obtained in the measuring (ii),
• (iv) determining an area (X) of a region corresponding to sodium polystyrene sulfonate-equivalent molecular weight values (M) in a range of from 300 to 3300,
• (v) determining an area (Y) of an entire region ascribed to the conductive polymer (A) in terms of the sodium polystyrene sulfonate-equivalent molecular weight values (M), and
• (vi) obtaining the X/Y area ratio of the area (X) to the area (Y),
• wherein the ZS is a maximum value of fluorescence intensity in a wavelength region in a range of from 320 to 420 nm when a fluorescence spectrum is measured using a spectrofluorometer at an excitation wavelength of 230 nm with respect to a measurement solution obtained by diluting the conductive composition with water so as to adjust a solids content of the conductive polymer (A) to 0.6% by mass,
• wherein the ZR is a maximum value of Raman scattering intensity in a wavelength region in a range of from 380 to 420 nm when a fluorescence spectrum of water is measured using a spectrofluorometer at an excitation wavelength of 350 nm,
• wherein the conductive polymer (A) comprises, in polymerized form, in a range of from 20 to 100 mol. % relative to all repeating units, phenylene vinylene, vinylene, thienylene, pyrrolylene, phenylene, iminophenylene, isothianaphthene, furylene, and/or carbazolylene, each having its α position or β position substituted with at least one group selected from the group consisting of a sulfonic acid group and a carboxylic acid group,
• wherein the basic compound (B) comprises a quaternary ammonium compound (b-1), a basic compound (b-2) comprising a nitrogen atom other than the quaternary ammonium compound (b-1), and/or a basic compound (b-3) comprising a basic group, a first hydroxy group, and a second hydroxy group in the same molecule, and having a melting point of 30° C. or higher,
• wherein the basic compound (B) is present in the conductive composition in a range of from 0.1 to 1 mol equivalent, with respect to 1 mol of units having an acidic group in the conductive polymer (A), and
• wherein the conductive polymer (A) is at least partially neutralized with the basic compound (B) and forms a salt between the sulfonic acid group and/or carboxylic acid group and the basic compound (B).