This book is a collection of papers by individuals in industry and academia on research and application development of conductive polymers and plastics. Conductive plastics are positioned to play an increasingly important role in affairs of mankind, specifically in the area of electrical and electronic conductivity. While general knowledge about conductive polymers and plastics has been available for many years, a true understanding of their application has only taken place in the last 3 to 4 years. This is attributed to advances in materials and processing techniques. Engineers have only begun to explore the design freedom and economic benefits of specifying conductive polymers and plastics in industrial and business applications.This book is a key reference and guide to the use of conductive polymers and plastics. It is a summary of existing technologies, but also a look at future possibilities.

This book deals with the practical fundamentals and applications of conducting polymers. Written from a pedagogical point of view and at a very basic level, it provides a thorough grounding in CPs ideal for further work, as a reference, or as a supplementary course text.

Those who recognize that our modern life style is dependent, to a large extent, on the use of organic polymers as thermal and elec trical insulators, may be surprised to learn that specific plastics may also be used as conductors of electricity. In addition to demon strating the versatility of polymers, this use as conductors will lead to developments which were not possible with other available materials of construction. This is a new field which is growing rapidly because of intensive research and developmental efforts by many different industrial, governmental and university investigators. Many of these researchers reported advances in this art at a symposium on conductive polymers sponsored by the American Chemical Society's Division of Organic Coatings and Plastics Chemistry held at the Second Chemical Congress of the North American Continent at Las Vegas, in August 1980. The proceedings of this timely symposium are presented in this book. The editor wishes to take this opportunity to express his grati tude to the authors who contributed to this book and to the ACS Organic Coatings and Plastics Division for sponsoring this effort. Raymond B. Seymour Department of Polymer Science University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, MS 39401 v CONTENTS 1 New Horizons in Conductive Polymers Raymond B. Seymour Synthesis and Characterization of Conductive 7 Palladium Containing Polyimide Films • T.L. Wohlford. J. Schaff. L.T. Taylor.

While there is information available in handbooks on polythiophene chemistry and physics, until now, few if any books have focused exclusively on the most forwardly developed electrically conductive polymer, Poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-otherwise known as PEDOT. This resource provides full chemical, physical, and technical information about this important conducting polymer, discussing basic knowledge and exploring its technical applications. Presented information is based on information generated at universities and through academic research, as well as by industrial scientists, providing a complete picture of the experimental and the practical aspects of this important polymer.

Providing a vital link between nanotechnology and conductive polymers, this book covers advances in topics of this interdisciplinary area. In each chapter, there is a discussion of current research issues while reviewing the background of the topic. The selection of topics and contributors from around the globe make this text an outstanding resource for researchers involved in the field of nanomaterials or polymer materials design. The book is divided into three sections: From Conductive Polymers to Nanotechnology, Synthesis and Characterization, and Applications.

A comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the latest research trends in conductive polymers and polymer hybrids, summarizing recent achievements. The book begins by introducing conductive polymer materials and their classification, while subsequent chapters discuss the various syntheses, resulting properties and up-scaling as well as the important applications in biomedical and biotechnological fields, including biosensors and biodevices. The whole is rounded off by a look at future technological advances. The result is a well-structured, essential reference for beginners as well as experienced researchers.

This report explains the theory of polymer conductivity, and discusses developments in the synthesis of the major polymers. A detailed section on practical applications follows a discussion of the improved electrical and mechanical properties and environmental stability which make such applications possible. An additional indexed section containing several hundred abstracts from the Rapra Polymer Library database provides useful references for further reading.