PEDOT findings open opportunities for organic nanoelectronic circuits

Dan Rogers - 24 Jun 2010

Nanoelectronic devices could be created using PEDOT, a material for creating organic electronics, research has shown.

The work at McGill University in Canada and the National Institute of Scientific Research in France has demonstrated the ability to order molecules in PEDOT material, which can be used as a conductive polymer for plastic electronics applications.

PEDOT is already produced by companies such as Agfa in Belgium for printed electronics, such as organic solar cells and displays. However, the material has previously proven difficult to organise, meaning controlled conductivity has not been possible, says lead researcher Dmitrii Perepichka.

He explains: 'PEDOT has been a very popular material in industrial applications, but it has always been used as a highly disorganised material, because it cannot be solution processed.'

Knowing how to order molecules in a PEDOT solution allows for the controlled fabrication of nanoelectronics - such as smaller computer memory devices - based on organic components. This knowledge could be employed by existing PEDOT suppliers and open up their customer bases to include microelectronics developers, such as computer memory chip makers.

'There are not too many of these companies working in Canada, but there is a better base in Europe,' Perepichka notes.

Controlled

The research team demonstrated the ability to order the molecules in PEDOT, so conductivity can be controlled - meaning PEDOT-based circuitry could be produced.

'At the surface, we are able to dictate the direction of growth for these molecules. This means that if we pattern the surface on which the PEDOT grows, we can have active and non-active parts, and draw circuits. This has the potential to be used in molecular electronics,' adds Perepichka.

The researchers applied molecules to a crystal copper surface and observed how they developed under a scanning probe microscope. As the PEDOT imitated the direction of the material on which it was grown, the researchers saw the opportunity to create more complex structures.

Perepichka remarks: 'Using metals as the templates for organic materials, we can get new architectures and create 2D polymers.'

The materials were produced using an ultra-high vacuum process, though Perepichka admits more ambient conditions would be needed for industrial use, and work is underway to prove the concept can be applied using other techniques. Success using alternative metal host materials has already been achieved, suggesting something closer to an industrially applicable process could be realised soon.

This could then lead to further research that is more focused on a commercial demonstration.

'What we're trying to do is increase the degree of order in PEDOT - then we will be able to identify niche applications for which this material solves the problem,' says Perepichka.

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