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Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), usually known as PEDOT, and derivatives have attracted significant interest because of their high electrical conductivity. This electric property, however, deteriorates upon exposure to solar radiation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has been used to study the UV-light-induced chemical changes in doped PEDOT, as well as in both neutral and doped forms of its alkylated derivative—PEDOT-C14H29. Analysis of the XPS data indicates an oxidation of the sulfur in the thiophene ring. Apparently, photo-oxidation leads to the formation of sulfon groups, SO2, resulting in a disruption of π-conjugation in PEDOT, which there by diminishes the conductivity of the organic layer. This hypothesis is supported by the results of a study of model molecules for pristine and the oxidized PEDOT unit: 3,4 ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) and 3,4 ethylenedioxythiophene and S-dioxide (EDOT-SO2), respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A very large surface to volume ratio of nanoporous silicon (PS) produces a high density of surface states, which are responsible for uncontrolled oxidation of the PS surface. Hence it disturbs the stability of the material and also creates difficulties in the formation of a reliable electrical contact. To passivate the surface states of the nanoporous silicon, noble metals (Pd, Ru, and Pt) were dispersed on the PS surface by an electroless chemical method. GIXRD (glancing incidence X-ray diffraction) proved the crystallinity of PS and the presence of noble metals on its surface. While FESEM (field emission scanning electron microscopy) showed the morphology, the EDX (energy dispersive X-ray) line scans and digital X-ray image mapping indicated the formation of the noble metal islands on the PS surface. Dynamic SIMS (secondary ion mass spectroscopy) further confirmed the presence of noble metals and other impurities near the surface of the modified PS. The variation of the surface roughness after the noble metal modification was exhibited by AFM (atomic force microscopy). The formation of a thin oxide layer on the modified PS surface was verified by XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]