Polyaniline films doped with ladder-type sulfonated polyphenylsilsesquioxane and unusual dependence of their electrical conductivity on temperature

We report on conducting polyaniline (PANI) films doped with a thermally stable polymer dopant, linear ladder-type sulfonated polyphenylsilsesquioxane (S-PPSQ). The PANI/S-PPSQ films exhibited high-temperature stable electrical conductivity. With a heat treatment at 120 °C, the electrical conductivity of conventional PANI films doped with the molecular dopant camphorsulfuric acid (CSA) rapidly decreased to half of its initial value, while that of PANI/S-PPSQ films were relatively unaffected. Moreover, PANI/S-PPSQ films with high electrical conductivity exhibited unusual negative temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) values above room temperature, in contrast to conventional PANI/CSA films that exhibited positive TCR values. By using a solution blend of PANI/S-PPSQ and PANI/CSA with negative and positive TCR values, respectively, we successfully demonstrated control of TCR behavior. Therefore, PANI/S-PPSQ materials are very promising for organic electronic applications.