Electrospun polyaniline/polyethylene oxide nanofiber field-effect transistor

• Published in: Applied physics letters Vol. 83; no. 20; pp. 4244 - 4246
• Main Authors: Pinto, N. J., Johnson, A. T., MacDiarmid, A. G., Mueller, C. H., Theofylaktos, N., Robinson, D. C., Miranda, F. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 17-11-2003
• ISSN: 0003-6951; 1077-3118
• DOI: 10.1063/1.1627484

We report on the observation of field-effect transistor (FET) behavior in electrospun camphorsulfonic-acid-doped polyaniline/polyethylene oxide (PEO) nanofibers. Saturation channel currents are observed at surprisingly low source–drain voltages. The hole mobility in the depletion regime is 1.4×10−4 cm2/V s, while the one-dimensional (1-D) charge density (at zero gate bias) is calculated to be approximately 1 hole per 50 two-ring repeat units of polyaniline, consistent with the rather high channel conductivity (∼10−3 S/cm). Reducing or eliminating the PEO content in the fiber is expected to enhance device parameters. Electrospinning is thus proposed as a simple method of fabricating one-dimensional polymer FETs.