LAUSR

Abstract Polythiophene is a prominent conductive polymer that can easily be deposited on electrodes in thin films. Polythiophene films convince with protein repellent properties and excellent environmental stability, which makes them an ideal candidate for the construction of various sensors. However, due to the strong absorption of polythiophene onto gold, its removal is a challenging task. Therefore, we developed a new method for the fast, simple and gentle removal of polythiophene films from gold electrodes. It is based on the induction of a shear stress caused by film swelling and allows the films to be easily wiped off the electrodes after treatment. The protocol is versatile and can be applied to a series of solvents, counter ions, and other conductive polymers; it even enables the removal of polypyrrole with a solution as simple as aqueous sodium sulphate. The quality of cleaned electrodes was evaluated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and white light interferometry. Our protocol allowed to reuse the utilized screen-printed thick film electrodes for up to fifteen times and hopefully supports the community in their research regarding the interesting and future oriented field of conductive polymers.