Conducting polymers

Yet Alan J. Heeger, Alan G. MacDiarmid and Hideki Shirakawa have changed this view with their discovery that a polymer, polyacetylene, can be made conductive almost like a metal.

What makes the material conductive?

Three simple carbon compounds are diamond, graphite and polyacetylene. They may be regarded as three- two- and onedimensional forms of carbon materials .

Diamond, which contains only bonds, is an insulator and its high symmetry gives it isotropic properties. Graphite and acetylene both have mobile electrons and are, when doped, highly anisotropic metallic conductors.

How can plastic become conductive?

Plastics are polymers, molecules that form long chains, repeating themselves. In becoming electrically conductive, a polymer has to imitate a metal, that is, its electrons need to be free to move and not bound to the atoms. Polyacetylene is the simplest possible conjugated polymer. It is obtained by polymerisation of acetylene, shown in the figure.

Two conditions to become conductive:

1-The first condition for this is that the polymer consists of alternating single and double bonds, called conjugated double bonds. In conjugation, the bonds between the carbon atoms are alternately single and double. Every bond contains a localised sigma () bond which forms a strong chemical bond. In addition, every double bond also contains a less strongly localised pi () bond which is weaker.

Doping process
The halogen doping transforms polyacetylene to a good conductor.

Oxidation with iodine causes the electrons to be jerked out of the polymer, leaving "holes" in the form of positive charges that can move along the chain.

The iodine molecule attracts an electron from the polyacetylene chain and becomes I3. The polyacetylene molecule, now positively charged, is termed a radical cation, or

polaron.

The lonely electron of the double bond, from which an electron was removed, can move easily. As a consequence, the double bond successively moves along the molecule. The positive charge, on the other hand, is fixed by electrostatic attraction to the iodide ion, which does not move so readily.

DOPING - FOR BETTER MOLECULE PERFORMANCE

Doped polyacetylene is, e.g., comparable to good conductors such as copper and silver, whereas in its original form it is a semiconductor.

Conductivity of conductive polymers compared to those of other materials, from quartz (insulator) to copper (conductor). Polymers may also have conductivities corresponding to those of semiconductors.

Conducting Polymers
Intrinsically C.P
Polymers consists of conjugated double bonds

Extrinsically C.P
Conductivity is due to externally added ingredients

C.P having conjugation

Doped C.P

Conductive Element Filled polymers

Blended C.P
Conventional polymer Blended with cp

1)C.P having conjugation: e-s increases the conductivity to a large extent because of conjugation results formation of valence bands & conduction bands over entire back bone. Ex: poly acetylene, poly anilene H3C-CH=CH-(CH=CH)n-CH=CH-CH3

Doping: the conductivity of a polymer can be increased by creating either +ve or -ve charges on polymer back bone oxin or redn is called doping. it is two types 1)P-DOPING: Treating an intrinsically conducting polymer with a lewis acid there by oxin process takes place and +ve charges on polymer are created. Comon p-dopants are I2,Br2,AsF5,PF6 etc Ex:(C2H2)n + 2FeCl3 (C2H2)n+FeCl4- + FeCl2

2) N-DOPING:
Treating an intrinsically conducting polymer with a lewis base there by redn process takes place and -ve charges on polymer are created. Common N-dopants are Li, Na, Ca etc.., Ex:(C2H2)n + NH3 (C2H2)n-NH3+ Applications: Increase use bcos they are light weight use to process and have good mechanical properties. In rechargeable light weight batteries, optically display devices, wiring air crafts and air space components, telecommunication systems and antistatic coatings for clothing.

2) The group of specialty polymers include in organic polymers such as poly organophophazenes, polysilastyrene Characteristics: Exhibit superior creep resistance , chemical resistance, dimensional stability, high rigidity, tensile strength and thermal properties USES: In electronic components, housings of light wave conductors, aero space applications, Separation of polymers, bio medical devices, electronics and encapsulation.

Liquid crystal polymer:(L C P) LCP by virtue of their morphology, possess remarkable properties such as exceptional oxygen and barrier properties, good thermal stability, good dimensional stability, high modules and strength and high chemical and solvent resistant LCPs and copoly esters have highly aromatic structures eg: vectra (Hochst celanese)
O O C O O C *

n vectra

Factors that affect the conductivity

1-Denesity of charge carriers. 2- Thier mobility. 3-The direction. 4-presence of doping materials (additives that facilitate the polymer conductivity) 5-Temperature.

Applications
Conducting polymers have many uses. The most documented are as follows:
anti-static substances for photographic film

Corrosion Inhibitors Compact Capacitors Anti Static Coating Electromagnetic shielding for computers "Smart Windows" A second generation of conducting polymers have been developed these have industrial uses like: Transistors Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) Lasers used in flat televisions Solar cells Displays in mobile telephones and mini-format television screens

Shield for computer screen against electromagnetic "smart" windows radiation Solar cell Photographic Film

smart" windows

Light-emitting diodes