On the origin of mesoscopic inhomogeneity of conducting polymers.

The mesoscopic inhomogeneity of conducting polymer films obtained by electropolymerization and spin-coating was studied using Kelvin probe force microscopy (KFM) and current-sensing atomic-force microscopy (CS-AFM). A well-pronounced correlation was established between the polymer morphology, on the one hand, and its local work function (which is related to the polymer oxidation degree) as well as polymer conductivity, on the other. The most conducting regions were associated with the tops of the polymer grains and showed Ohmic behavior.