Various substrates such as glass slides and silicon wafers were modified by styrylethyltrimethoxysilane to attach double bonds to those surfaces. The double bond layer was initiated and capped by benzoyl peroxide (BPO) and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidirooxy (TEMPO), respectively, to form 'living' free radical layer from which polystyrene brushes were grown. The density of double bonds on the surface controlled the orientation of polystyrene brush or film. The polystyrene films were then sulfonated by fuming sulfuric acid (H(2)SO(4)(.)xSO(3)) to obtain polystyrenesulfonic acid (PSS) films with controlled polymer chain alignment. The lower double bond density led to a lower degree of polymer chain alignment. 3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene monomer was diffused into PSS film and then polymerized. A conductive polyethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT)/PSS film was obtained. The films were characterized by four-point probe, AFM and UV-VIS. The conductivity of PSS/PEDOT film measured along the direction which is normal to polymer chain alignment, is lower than that from commercial PSS/PEDOT. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.