Inherently Conducting Polymers

Processing, fabrication, applications, and limitations of inherently conducting polymers are covered in this book. Electrically conducting polymers have many potential applications and thus are a focus of research interest. Such polymers depend on a conjugated backbone that can be doped with highly reactive materials to increase conductivity, but this backbone is also the source of instability in these materials. The work described concentrates on solving these instability problems, using various doping techniques to yield polymers more stable than polyacetylene, (CH)x, the first extensively characterized covalent organic polymer. Several methods of synthesizing conjugated polymers and ways of doping the conjugated backbone are described. The stability of pristine and doped polymers is examined in ambient atmosphere and under thermal treatment, and several stabilization techniques are discussed, including chemical doping, ion implantation, plastification, copolymerization, antioxidative treatments, surface protection, and the use of crown ethers. Although considerable progress has been made, a fully stable, highly conductive polymer still awaits development. Various possible uses of such a polymer and the conditions for successful applications are described, as are the relative advantages and disadvantages of currently available polymers.