PEDOT/PSS-Halloysite Nanotubes (HNTs) Hybrid Films: Insulating HNTs Enhance Conductivity of the PEDOT/PSS Films

We have for the first time found that completely insulating Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) significantly enhance electrical conductivity of PEDOT/PSS films by simply mixing. Based on this accident finding we have created highly porous and conductive PEDOT/PSS films hybridized with the HNTs. Through further optimization of the mixing condition we have obtained flexible and conductive hybrid films with high specific surface area. Based on experimental evidences we proposed a plausible mechanism of the phenomenon where the PEDOT/PSS colloidal particle with particle size of several tens nanometers well pack at the nano-channels into well-ordered structures of PEDOT/PSS particles, which show conductivity as higher as several order of magnitude than that of PEDOT/PSS particles in outside of the HNTs.