Design Experiment (parameters) Applied to PEDOT: PSS/AgNW Composite Doped with EG for Transparent Conductive Films

PEDOT:PSS films can be improved by chemical treatments, adding a conducting nanomaterial on its matrix, or even with post-treatments. The chemical treatment combined with the addition of new material to the polymer matrix can generate a large number of combinations, thus demanding a great effort from researchers to find the best combination between both approaches. In this study, Central Composite Design (CCD) was used with a star-type Response Surface Methodology (RSM) approaching for evaluating the formation and optimization of the electrical and optics properties of thin films of PEDOT:PSS/AgNWs treated by ethylene glycol (EG). The films were deposited by spin-coating with specific volume ratios in the presence of co-solvent EG and thermal post-treatment. The PEDOT:PSS/AgNWs films developed in this study presented expressive results (150 S/cm, transparency greater than 90% and thickness around 45 nm) with potential for application in organic electronics.