Nonlinear optical properties of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) synthesized by electropolymerization

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) films were synthesized on indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) electrodes by electropolymerization in propylene carbonate (PC) electrolyte. The morphology of the PEDOT films was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscope. The third-order nonlinear optical properties of PEDOT films were investigated by Z-scan technique at 532nm with 7 ns pulses from a Nd:YAG laser. The result shows that the third-order nonlinear refractive index of the PEDOT film is as high as 10^-13 m2W^-1. At the same time, the properties of PEDOT oligomer dissolved in PC solution were investigated. The corresponding nonlinear refractive index in PC electrolyte exhibited up to 10^-17 m2W ^-1. The perfect stability and ultra-high third order nonlinear refractive indexes of PEDOT films on ITO and PEDOT in PC solution indicate that PEDOT synthesized by electropolymerized have great potential application for nonlinear optical devices.