Thin, transparent conductive films fabricated from conducting polymer nanofibers

In this study, doped films consisting of a nanofiber network of a conducting polymer, poly(3-hexylthiophene), were fabricated, and optical transmittance and electrical conductivity measurements were carried out. It was found that the films could be doped more efficiently than the conventional non-nanofibrillar polymer films by dipping the films in a dopant solution. The conductivity of the nanofiber films was 34 S cm,−1 which was seven times larger than that of a conventional polymer film with the same transmittance (∼85%). The superior transparency and conductivity properties of the nanofiber films were attributed to the existence of highly effective conducting pathways, a large void fraction generated by the bulky network of the nanofibers, and a high dopant concentration that results from the large surface area.