Light induced damage in poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) and its derivatives studied by photoelectron spectroscopy

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), usually known as PEDOT, and derivatives have attracted significant interest because of their high electrical conductivity. This electric property, however, deteriorates upon exposure to solar radiation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has been used to study the UV-light-induced chemical changes in doped PEDOT, as well as in both neutral and doped forms of its alkylated derivative—PEDOT-C 14H 29. Analysis of the XPS data indicates an oxidation of the sulfur in the thiophene ring. Apparently, photo-oxidation leads to the formation of sulfon groups, SO 2, resulting in a disruption of π-conjugation in PEDOT, which there by diminishes the conductivity of the organic layer. This hypothesis is supported by the results of a study of model molecules for pristine and the oxidized PEDOT unit: 3,4 ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) and 3,4 ethylenedioxythiophene and S-dioxide (EDOT-SO 2), respectively.