Method of manufacturing solid electrolytic capacitor, and method of manufacturing dispersion containing conjugated electrically conductive polymer

1. A method of manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor comprising a porous anode body made of a valve metal having a dielectric film on a surface thereof, and a solid electrolyte layer disposed on a surface of the dielectric film, the method comprising:

a step (A) of, in a liquid comprising a polyanion and an aqueous medium, polymerizing a monomer compound for obtaining a conjugated electrically conductive polymer to obtain a dispersion (1) containing the conjugated electrically conductive polymer and subjecting the dispersion (1) to a dispersion treatment to obtain a dispersion (2) containing the conjugated electrically conductive polymer;

a step (B) of depositing the dispersion (2) on a porous anode body made of a valve metal having a dielectric film on a surface thereof; and

a step (C) of removing the aqueous medium from the dispersion (2) deposited on the porous anode body to form a solid electrolyte layer,

wherein in the step (A), an operation which pauses the dispersion treatment is performed once or several times, and the pausing time is from 1 to 6000 minutes in total and is from 1 to 300 minutes per operation.

2. The method of manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor according to claim 1 , wherein seed particles forming a protective colloid by a polyanion are dispersed in the aqueous medium.

3. The method of manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor according to claim 1 , wherein the operation which pauses the dispersion treatment is performed from 2 to 20 times.

4. The method of manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor according to claim 1 , wherein the time for which the dispersion treatment is paused is from 6 to 2250 minutes in total.

5. The method of manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor according to claim 1 , wherein a viscosity of the dispersion (1) after the pause is from 1.05 to 100.0 times higher than a viscosity before the pause.

6. The method of manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor according to claim 1 , wherein a salt compound is added to the dispersion (1) in the step (A).

7. The method of manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor according to claim 2 , wherein the seed particles are particles of a polymer of an ethylenically unsaturated monomer.

8. The method of manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor according to claim 1 , wherein the dispersion treatment comprises a dispersion treatment by ultrasonic irradiation in the step (A).

9. The method of manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor according to claim 1 , wherein the dispersion treatment comprises a dispersion treatment using a high-pressure homogenizer in the step (A).

10. The method of manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor according to claim 1 , wherein the monomer compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of a pyrrole compound, an aniline compound, and a thiophene compound.

11. The method of manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor according to claim 1 , wherein the monomer compound is a compound represented by the following formula (1):

(wherein R1 and R2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, a hydroxy group, an alkyl group which may have a substituent and in which the number of carbons in the part other than the substituent is from 1 to 18, an alkoxy group which may have a substituent and in which the number of carbons in the part other than the substituent is from 1 to 18, or an alkylthio group which may have a substituent and in which the number of carbons in the part other than the substituent is from 1 to 18, or

R 1 and R 2 are bonded to each other and represent an alicycle which may have a substituent and in which the number of carbons in the part other than the substituent is from 3 to 10, an aromatic ring which may have a substituent and in which the number of carbons in the part other than the substituent is from 6 to 10, a heterocyclic ring containing an oxygen atom which may have a substituent and in which the number of carbons in the part other than the substituent is from 2 to 10, a heterocyclic ring containing a sulfur atom which may have a substituent and in which the number of carbons in the part other than the substituent is from 2 to 10, or a heterocyclic ring containing a sulfur atom and an oxygen atom which may have a substituent and the number of carbons in the part other than the substituent is from 2 to 10.

12. The method of manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor according to claim 1 , wherein the polyanion is a polymer having at least one of a sulfo group and a group consisting of a salt of a sulfo group.

13. The method of manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor according to claim 1 , wherein the polyanion is used in an amount such that the ratio of anionic groups in the polyanion is from 0.25 to 30.00 mol relative to 1 mol of the monomer compound.

14. The method of manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor according to claim 1 , wherein the polymerization is performed using at least one oxidant selected from peroxodisulfuric acid and a salt thereof in the step (A).

15. A method of manufacturing a dispersion (2) containing a conjugated electrically conductive polymer, comprising

a step (A) of, in a liquid including a polyanion and an aqueous medium, polymerizing a monomer compound for obtaining a conjugated electrically conductive polymer to obtain a dispersion (1) containing the conjugated electrically conductive polymer and subjecting the dispersion (1) to a dispersion treatment to obtain a dispersion (2) containing the conjugated electrically conductive polymer,

wherein in the step (A), an operation which pauses the dispersion treatment is performed once or several times, and the pausing time is from 1 to 6000 minutes in total and is from 1 to 300 minutes per operation.