Effect of RF and AC powers on morphological, structural, and optical properties of plasma polymerized EDOT thin films

This study focused on the effects of alternating current (AC) and radio frequency (RF) power in the formation of plasma polymerized 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (PPEDOT) thin films onto glass substrates. Field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed that thin films produced both in AC and RF conditions exhibited a pristine surface morphology without any pinholes. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that the chemical compositions of the PPEDOT films differed from that of the 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) monomer due to structural rearrangements. The energy band gap values determined from the UV–Vis spectra were approximately 3.68 eV for the samples produced under AC power, while those for the samples produced under RF power were relatively higher, around 3.84 eV. Furthermore, the thin films synthesized using RF power and AC power exhibited significant differences in optical properties, including Urbach energy, extinction coefficient, steepness parameter, refractive index, optical conductivity, and skin depth. The EDOT monomer, PPEDOT and computed PEDOT via Density Functional Theory have been explicitly modeled with the intend to scrutinize the interplay between polymer formation and the modulation of molecular orbital energy levels, calculating band gaps, and molecular vibrations.