Conductivity and phase behavior in conducting polymer blends of poly(3-octylthiophene) and poly(vinylchloride) convatibilized by a plasticizer

Summary form only given. Meltmixed conducting polymer blends of poly(3-octylthiophene), POT, and poly (vinylchloride), PVC, have been examined with respect to their conductivity, miscibility behavior and morphology. After doping with FeCl/sub 3/, these blends show a relatively high conductivity (~3 S/cm for 23 % POT). However, when di-iso-octylphtalate, DOP, is added to these blends their conductivity increase even if the content of POT is lower. (e.g. 4 S/cm for 17% POT). We have applied scanning electron microscopy for the investigation of the phase structure and dynamic mechanic measurements to study the miscibility in these blends. These: studies reveal that the size of the POT grains are smaller in the blends with DOP and that DOP works as a common plasticizer for both PVC and POT.