Driving the polymerization of PEDOT:PSS by means of a nanoporous template: Effects on the structure

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) polymerization has been carried out both in a template-free environment and inside the nanopores of SBA-15 mesoporous silica. Comparing the two methods and the secondary doping of commercial PEDOT:PSS, we were able to study the structural effect of the templated polymerization via a multi-technique approach. We found that the confined polymerization favours a more linear configuration of the polymer chains, in a similar way to the well-known secondary doping with organic solvents. Moreover, comparison of computational and experimental results suggests that the PEDOT mean chain length is greater when the polymerization occurs in the nanoporous template, promoting the formation of a polymer with larger molecular weight and crystallinity.