Vapor phase oxidative synthesis of conjugated polymers and applications

Since their discovery, electrically conductive polymers have gained immense interest both in the fields of basic and applied research. Despite their vast potential in the fabrication of efficient, flexible, and low‐cost electronic and optoelectronic devices, they are often difficult to process by wet‐chemical methods due to their very low to poor solubility in organic solvents. The use of vapor‐based synthetic routes, in which conductive polymers can be synthesized and deposited as a thin film directly on a substrate from the vapor phase, provides many unique advantages. This article discusses oxidative vapor deposition processes, primarily vapor phase polymerization and oxidative chemical vapor deposition, of conjugated polymers and their applications. The mild operating conditions (near room temperature processing) allow conformal and functional coatings of conjugated polymers on delicate substrates. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012 In this article, the development and advantages of two vapor‐based technologies for the simultaneous synthesis and deposition of conjugated polymer thin films are reviewed: vapor phase polymerization and oxidative chemical vapor deposition. Applications of both conductive and semiconductive polymer films fabricated by these two techniques are discussed.