SBIR Phase II: High Conductivity Photoprintable Conducting Polymers for Polymeric Electronics

This Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop organic dispersible and photoprintable conducting polymers based on polyethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT). PEDOT is the conducting polymer of choice for electronic displays and devices due to its high conductivity, stability and transparency as a thin film. However, it is only available as an aqueous dispersion, and no one else has been able to render PEDOT dispersible in organic solvents. It is important to make PEDOT dispersible in organics because water is incompatible with many semiconductor processing steps. This SBIR project will develop printable conducting polymers that are initially organic dispersible, can be cast a thin films, and conducting patterns can be made permanently fixed by selectively exposing the film to ultraviolet light. The material that is not exposed to the light can be easily removed. This project will develop printable PEDOT-based conducting polymers that contain no water, and that can be used in the production of electronics such as organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays. This project hopes to increase knowledge of organic dispersible conducting polymers. Sample size quantities of organic dispersible conducting polymers developed in this project will be made available to researchers by sale through a major chemical distributor. This will promote a more rapid dissemination of the base technology and quicken the pace of additional discoveries and applications using our materials. The benefits of this research to society include a reduced environmental impact due to electronics manufacturing. The printing technology presented in this proposal results in fewer chemical waste streams than inorganic electronics production. Inorganic electronics fabrication facilities produce large amounts of toxic waste including arsenic and heavy metals. The lack of ground water pollution from toxins in the decomposition process is a plus for municipalities who struggle with this issue today. Furthermore, this printing technology will result in a reduction in the cost and a greater variety of electronic devices available to consumers. This technology should have a positive impact in areas where weight sensitivity represents a gating factor.