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Updated: Dec 22, 2025

Vapor Phase Deposition of Electroactive Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) onto Electrospun Commodity Polymer Nanofibers
Published on: March 7, 2025
Eumelanin Precursor 2-Carboxy-5,6-Dihydroxyindole (DHICA) as Doping Factor in Ternary (PEDOT:PSS/Eumelanin) Thin
Ludovico Migliaccio1, Felice Gesuele2, Paola Manini1
1Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", 80126 Naples, Italy.
Abstract:
The integration of the pristine not-doped commercial poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) PH1000 with eumelanin, the brown to black kind of melanin pigment, was achieved by dissolving the melanogenic precursors 2-carboxy-5,6-dihydroxyindole (DHICA) in the PH1000 suspension. Solid state oxidative polymerization of the catecholic indole allowed obtaining the ternary blend PEDOT:PSS/eumelanin. The introduction of DHICA into PH1000 produced a noticeable increase in the conductivity of PEDOT thin films akin to that produced by dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) treatment, opening up novel strategies for the simultaneous integration of eumelanin polymer and conductivity enhancement of PEDOT containing coatings, as well as the long term goal of replacing PSS by DHICA eumelanin for PEDOT pairing.

