Electrically Active Polymers

Abstract

In the years since the discovery of conductivity in polyacetylene, a tremendous amount of research has been devoted to the synthesis, characterization, and application development of electrically active polymers. This article reviews the theory of conduction in these materials and discusses the syntheses of the major types of electrically active polymers. Electrical conductivities of these polymers are presented along with stability and mechanical and optical properties. The unique combinations of properties in these materials have led to a wide range of practical applications, which are also discussed.

Synthesis and characterization of electrically conducting copolymers based on biphenyl and thiophene

“…Then, it loses two protons and rearomatizes, this way forming the trimer (f). 3,5,10,12,31,32 With the same reactions, the polymer chain keeps on growing.…”

“…13 Scheme 2 Mechanism of thiophene electropolymerization. 5 the rate is the result of two different factors: (1) the overlapping of the growing nuclei which decrease the active surface of the electrode 33 and (2) a considerable amount of the radical cations formed in the region near to the electrode diffuse to the electrolytic solution and they do not take part to the film growth. 37 …”

“…In homopolymers, the higher conductivity appears in polymers having the lowest ratio of structural units per counter ion, which indicates that they are more doped. 5 Considering that polythiophenes generally have lower conductivity than polyphenylenes, it can be expected that the higher content of thiophene units, the lower the conductivity of the copolymers would be. Thus, in copolymers, the higher conductivity appears in polymers having the lowest ratio of thiophene units.…”

“…1,2 CPs are used in areas such as rechargeable batteries, [3][4][5] electroluminescent polymer displays, 3 polymer light-emitting diodes, [3][4][5] flexible ''plastic'' transistors, 3 sensors, 4,6,7 and photovoltaic cells. 4,5 CPs can be synthesized by chemical polymerization or by electropolymerization, whereas the latter offers several advantageous features, 1,3,5 such as absence of catalyst, direct formation of the doped polymer film on the electrode surface, easy control of the film thickness and the possibility of performing in situ characterization of the deposited film by electrochemical and other techniques. 3,5 Polyphenylenes are one of the most important classes of conjugated polymers and have been the subject of extensive research, particularly as active materials for use in light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and polymer lasers.…”

“…4,5 CPs can be synthesized by chemical polymerization or by electropolymerization, whereas the latter offers several advantageous features, 1,3,5 such as absence of catalyst, direct formation of the doped polymer film on the electrode surface, easy control of the film thickness and the possibility of performing in situ characterization of the deposited film by electrochemical and other techniques. 3,5 Polyphenylenes are one of the most important classes of conjugated polymers and have been the subject of extensive research, particularly as active materials for use in light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and polymer lasers. These materials have been of particular interest as potential blue emitters in such devices.…”