Compositions produced by solvent exchange methods and uses thereof
AssigneeElecon, Inc.
InventorsQingye Zhou, Jae Ryu, Dieter Freitag, Karen Mulfort
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Abstract
Disclosed are compositions formed by a method for exchanging the water in an optionally substituted polythiophene dispersion with a specific mixture of organic solvents. The resulting compositions exhibit improved electrical conductivity, optical transparency, environmental stability, excellent adhesion to a variety of substrates and processing characteristics. Also disclosed are methods for making and using such compositions.
Claims131
A method for exchanging the water in an optionally substituted polythiophene/anion dispersion for a specific mixture of solvents, comprising:
- a) heating a specific solvent mixture in a vessel under conditions suitable for vaporizing water,
- b) contacting the heated specific solvent mixture with a mixture comprising water and optionally substituted polythiophene/anion, the contact being sufficient to remove at least part of the water from the mixture as vapor;
- and
- c) optionally adding an organic or inorganic additive during or after the exchange process;
- and
- d) exchanging the water removed from the mixture with the specific solvent mixture.
A method for exchanging the water in an aqueous dispersion comprising poly 3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene/polystyrene sulfonic acid with a specific solvent mixture comprised of at least two of ethylene glycol, N-methylpyrrolidinone and N,N-dimethylacetamide comprising;
- a) contacting the heated specific solvent mixture containing any two or all hree of ethylene glycol, N-methylpyrrolidinone and/or N,N-dimethylacetamide in a first vessel to a temperature of between from about 100° C. to about 250° C.
- b) contacting the heated ethylene glycol and N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) and/or dimethylacetamide (DMAC) mixture with an amount of the aqueous dispersion comprising poly-3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene/polystyrene sulfonic acid, wherein the dispersion is added to the surface of the heated specific solvent at a rate of between from about 0.1 to about 1000 mL/minute, the contact being sufficient to remove at least part of the water from the dispersion as vapor;
- c) optionally adding an organic or inorganic additive during or after the exchange process;
- and
- d) exchanging the water removed from the dispersion as vapor with a specific solvent mixture containing any two or all three of ethylene glycol, N-methylpyrrolidinone and/or N,N-dimethylacetamide.
The method of claim 54, wherein the method further comprises removing the water from the vessel.
The method of claim 55, wherein the water vapor removed from the mixture is a condensate or distillate.
The method of claim 55, wherein the water removal from the vessel is facilitated by an azeotroping agent.
A conducting polymer coating exhibiting a charge carrier mobility of greater than 4 Cm2/V-S, wherein the charge carrier mobility is measured by the combination of van der Pauw and Hall effect methods.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.