The effect of counter ions and substrate material on the growth and morphology of poly(3,​4-​ethylenedioxythiophene) films: Towards the application of enzyme electrode construction in biofuel cells

Poly(3,​4-​ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) films, with Cl-​, NO3-​, poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS-​) or C nanotubes (CNTs) as counterions, were electrochem. deposited onto In Sn oxide (ITO) glass from aq. electrolyte.  PEDOT film, with tetrafluoroborate anions (BF4-​) as counterions, was also electrochem. deposited on ITO glass from a propylene carbonate-​based electrolyte.  The effect of counterions on the morphol. of PEDOT films was demonstrated by the characterizations with scanning electron microscope (SEM)​.  Different C-​based materials were explored as the substrate materials for PEDOT film generation in electropolymn., including C ink paper, C paper, C felt, and reticulated vitreous C foam (RVC foam)​.  The micro-​structure and the surface morphol. of the resulted PEDOT films were imaged with SEM.  The elemental anal. of the films was performed with energy dispersive x-​ray anal. (EDAX)​.  The topog. of the PEDOT films was characterized using confocal white light microscopy (COM)​.  A biofuel cell cathode was prepd. by immobilization of Trametes Hirsuta laccase (Th-​laccase) in PEDOT and the performance of the electrode towards O redn. was examd. by chronoamperomentric measurements