Temperature dependent charge transport of acid-treated poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) thin films

Publications

Temperature dependent charge transport of acid-treated poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) thin films

Year : 2020

Publisher : American Institute of Physics Inc.claims@aip.org

Source Title : Journal of Applied Physics

Document Type :

Abstract

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is an important opto-electronic material, and its room temperature electrical conductivity can be prominently enhanced by chemical treatment; it is technologically significant to investigate its temperature and magnetic field dependent charge transport characteristics. Here, we analyzed the low temperature charge transport properties of pristine and acid-treated PEDOT:PSS thin films by studying the variation in resistance as a function of temperature and magnetic field (T ~300 to 4.2 K, H ~up to 5 T). The acid-treated sample exhibited much improved charge transport behavior at low T, with a resistivity ratio [ρ(4.2 K)/ρ(300 K)] of ~5.7 × 102, which is three orders of magnitude smaller than that of the pristine sample. Nevertheless, both pristine and acid-treated samples followed hopping conduction, obeying R (T) ∞ exp T -1/2. and R (T) ∞ exp T -1/3, respectively, in the low T regime. Furthermore, positive magnetoresistance of ~16% (at 4.2 K and 5 T) was displayed by acid-treated samples that could be due to the wave function shrinkage phenomenon.