On the molecular structure and electrical properties of plasma polymerized thiophene films

Plasma polymerization of thiophene derivatives was carried out in a vacuum reactor with capacitively coupled electrode. This paper describes the dependence of molecular structure and electrical properties on the polymerization conditions such as plasma energy, mass flow rate and pressure. The molecular structure of plasma polymerized films were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The IR analysis revealed the thiophene rings was broken by the large discharge energy and molecular structure could be varied according to plasma condition. Four point probe method was employed to measure electrical conduction of the film and its conduction mechanism was investigated.