The unique properties of conducting and semiconducting (conjugated) polymers make them one of the most attractive areas of interdisciplinary materials science and technology. Written by a pioneer in the field, this book is the first aimed at teaching graduate students, postdoctoral scientists, and specialists in industry about this exciting field.

This book reviews the current understanding of electronic, optical and magnetic properties of conjugated polymers in both the semiconducting and metallic states. It introduces in particular novel phenomena and concepts in these quasi one-dimensional materials that differ from the well-established concepts valid for crystalline semiconductors. After a brief introductory chapter, the second chapter presents basic theore tical concepts and treats in detail the various models for n-conjugated polymers and the computational methods required to derive observable quantities. Specific spatially localized structures, often referred to as solitons, polarons and bipolarons, result naturally from the interaction between n-electrons and lattice displacements. For a semi-quantitative understanding of the various measure ments, electron-electron interactions have to be incorporated in the models; this in turn makes the calculations rather complicated. The third chapter is devoted to the electrical properties of these materials. The high metallic conductivity achieved by doping gave rise to the expression conducting polymers, which is often used for such materials even when they are in their semiconducting or insulating state. Although conductivity is one of the most important features, the reader will learn how difficult it is to draw definite conclusions about the nature of the charge carriers and the microscopic transport mechanism solely from electrical measurements. Optical properties are discussed in the fourth chapter.

An A-to-Z of doping including its definition, its importance, methods of measurement, advantages and disadvantages, properties and characteristics—and role in conjugated polymers The versatility of polymer materials is expanding because of the introduction of electro-active behavior into the characteristics of some of them. The most exciting development in this area is related to the discovery of intrinsically conductive polymers or conjugated polymers, which include such examples as polyacetylene, polyaniline, polypyrrole, and polythiophene as well as their derivatives. "Synmet" or "synthetic metal" conjugated polymers, with their metallic characteristics, including conductivity, are of special interest to researchers. An area of limitless potential and application, conjugated polymers have sparked enormous interest, beginning in 2000 when the Nobel Prize for the discovery and development of electrically conducting conjugated polymers was awarded to three scientists: Alan J. Heeger, Alan G. MacDiarmid, and Hideki Shirakawa. Conjugated polymers have a combination of properties—both metallic (conductivity) and polymeric; doping gives the conjugated polymer's semiconducting a wide range of conductivity, from insulating to low conducting. The doping process is a tested effective method for producing conducting polymers as semiconducting material, providing a substitute for inorganic semiconductors. Doping in Conjugated Polymers is the first book dedicated to the subject and offers a comprehensive A-to-Z overview. It details doping interaction, dopant types, doping techniques, and the influence of the dopant on applications. It explains how the performance of doped conjugated polymers is greatly influenced by the nature of the dopants and their level of distribution within the polymer, and shows how the electrochemical, mechanical, and optical properties of the doped conjugated polymers can be tailored by controlling the size and mobility of the dopants counter ions. The book also examines doping at the nanoscale, in particular, with carbon nanotubes. Readership The book will interest a broad range of researchers including chemists, electrochemists, biochemists, experimental and theoretical physicists, electronic and electrical engineers, polymer and materials scientists. It can also be used in both graduate and upper-level undergraduate courses on conjugated polymers and polymer technology.

Halbleitende Polymere sind ein faszinierendes interdisziplinäres Forschungsgebiet, das kurz vor dem anwendungstechnischen Durchbruch steht. Insbesondere für neue Komponenten in der Photonik und Optoelektronik bieten diese Materialien ein enormes Potential. Dieses zweibändige Handbuch mit Beiträgen herausragender Experten aus den Feldern Organische und Physikalische Chemie, Festkörperphysik bis hin zur Verfahrenstechnik, beschreibt detailliert die Grundlagen, die zum Verständnis und zur Kontrolle dieser faszinierenden Materialien notwendig sind.

Semiconducting polymers are of great interest for applications in electroluminescent devices, solar cells, batteries and diodes. In recent years vast advances have been made in the area of controlled synthesis of semiconducting polymers, specifically polythiophenes. The book is separated into two main sections, the first will introduce the advances made in polymer synthesis, and the second will focus on the microstructure and property analysis that has been enabled because of the recent advances in synthetic strategies. Edited by one of the leaders in the area of polythiophene synthesis, this new book will bring the field up to date with more recent models for understanding semiconducting polymers. The book will be applicable to materials and polymers chemists in industry and academia from postgraduate level upwards.

This book is a systematic survey of the knowledge accumulated in this field in the last thirty years. It includes material on the thermodynamic aspects of the polymers, the theory of the mechanism of charge transport processes, and the chemical and physical properties of these compounds. Also covered are the techniques of characterization, the electrochemical methods of synthesis, and the application of these systems. Inzelt’s book is a must-read for electrochemists and others.

Discussing every aspect of the fabrication, properties, and use of metal-filled polymers, this unique single-source reference covers the full range of current and potential applications -- from the insulation to the conduction level. Metal-Filled Polymers describes the most recent experimentation in determining the shielding effectiveness of plastics filled with metal ... compares the advantages of metal fillers over conventional nonmetallic fillers ... delineates the concept of interphase (which has recently found importance in predicting the mechanism of crack growth) ... and shows how the geometry and orientation of filler particles affect conduction, strength, and stiffness under various loading conditions. In addition, the book explains how the filler interacts with the matrix to improve composite properties ... and details the theoretical development of both mechanical and thermal properties. Encompassing the entire literature on their respective topics, contributions by eminent researchers focus on the very latest state-of-the-art data and relate findings directly to practical uses in current technology. Metal-Filled Polymers will prove a vital reference for plastics, materials, process, chemical, design, and mechanical engineers and managers in the plastics and metals industries. It will also be a useful resource for manufacturers of conductive composites for EMI shielding, and professional seminars and graduate-level courses in composite materials. Book jacket.