Method of synthesizing polymers from a solid electrolyte
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorTerje A. Skotheim
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Abstract
A method of synthesizing electrically conductive polymers from a solvent-free solid polymer electrolyte wherein an assembly of a substrate having an electrode thereon, a thin coating of solid electrolyte including a solution of PEO complexed with an alkali salt, and a thin transparent noble metal electrode are disposed in an evacuated chamber into which a selected monomer vapor is introduced while an electric potential is applied across the solid electrolyte to hold the thin transparent electrode at a positive potential relative to the electrode on the substrate, whereby a highly conductive polymer film is grown on the transparent electrode between it and the solid electrolyte.
Claims14
A method of synthesizing an electrically conductive polymer from a solvent-free solid polymer electrolyte, comprising the steps of:
- a. providing a substrate with an electrode thereon,
- b. providing a solution of high molecular weight poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) complexed with at least one alkali metal salt in a solvent,
- c. solution casting onto said substrate a thin film of said solution of PEO-salt and removing the solvent from said solution,
- d. forming a semi-transparent noble metal electrode film having a maximum predetermined thickness on the PEO salt film, thereby to define a thin film electrode that has a high density of pinholes through it, through which pinholes monomers can diffuse into said PEO-salt and through which pinholes photoelectrons can escape from the PEO-salt,
- e. placing the substrate with said PEO salt film and said noble metal film electrode in an evacuated chamber, and introducing a selected monomer vapor into the chamber, and
- f. applying an electric potential across said electrodes to hold the thin film electrode at a positive potential relative to the electrode on said substrate, thereby to effect electrochemical oxidation of said monomers and to grow a highly conducting polymer film of a selected thickness on one of said electrodes.
A method of synthesizing an electrically conductive polymer from a solvent-free solid polymer electrolyte, comprising the steps of:
- a. providing a solution of high molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) complexed with at least one alkali metal salt in a solvent,
- b. solution casting a thin film of said solution into a predetermined form, and removing the solvent from said cast solution,
- c. placing the thin cast PEO-salt film in an evacuated chamber, and introducing a selected monomer vapor into the chamber to cause its monomers to be absorbed in the PEO-salt film,
- d. maintaining the PEO-salt cool enough to retain the monomers therein, while forming a substrate on one surface of the PEO-salt film and while forming a front electrode on another side of said film, and
- e. applying a suitable electric potential to said substrate and front electrode, thereby to effect electrochemical oxidation of said monomers and to grow a highly conductive polymer film of a selected thickness between said PEO-salt film and either the substrate or the front electrode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.