Novel PEDOT dispersion by in-situ polymerization based on sulfated nanocellulose

Sulfated nanocellulose (SNC) is used as a dispersant instead of poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS) to prepare poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) dispersion by in-situ polymerization. Due to the excellent electronegativity provided by the sulfate groups on the cellulose chain and the colloidal stability of nanocellulose, the obtained PEDOT:SNC dispersions exhibit controllable conductivity, high stability with less dispersant and even good redispersibility. In addition, these dispersions show excellent printing suitability on a variety of substrates, proving their great potential to be applied as conductive ink for electronic circuit printing. Based on the outstanding forming ability of SNC, high performance PEDOT/SNC nanocomposite film can be fabricated from the PEDOT:SNC dispersion directly, which can serve as high-performance multifunctional sensors to external stimuli.