Advantages of Conducting Polymers

Polymers that, to date, have been investigated for their electrical conducting properties include polypyrrole, polyaniline, polythiophene, and polymer nanotube composites. The advantages of conducting polymers include good conductivity, biocompatibility, good stability, low impedance ability to entrap molecules, efficient charge transfer, and ability to entrap biomolecules. 

Many of the apphcations of conductive polymers utilize theh unique properties and advantages over other material systems, for example low density and controUable electrical properties. The foUowing examples demonstrate the versatility of conducting polymers in technology. 

Cable anodes of conducting polymers have an advantage when there are site problems with the installation of other anodes. They are extensively used for the cathodic protection of reinforcing steel in concrete (see Section 19.5.4). 

Even in fields in which materials science had become somewhat routine and boring, such as the development of new polymers, unexpected and promising breakthroughs have occurred. The invention of polymers that conduct an electrical current—once considered a contradiction in terms—has made possible new substances with many of the advantages of traditional polymers and the added benefit of electrical conductivity. Like most other fields of materials research today, polymer research is turning out products with almost unheard of molecular structures, such as dendrimers and hyper-branched polymers. These products are so different from any natural or previously manufactured substance that researchers scarcely know the applications in which they may he employed. 

Through the combination of SPR with a - poten-tiostat, SPR can be measured in-situ during an electrochemical experiment (electrochemical surface plasmon resonace, ESPR). Respective setups are nowadays commercially available. Voltammetric methods, coupled to SPR, are advantageously utilized for investigations of - conducting polymers, thin film formation under influence of electric fields or potential variation, as well as - electropolymerization, or for development of -> biosensors and - modified electrodes. Further in-situ techniques, successfully used with SPR, include electrochemical - impedance measurements and -+ electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance. 

However, it seems likely that a conductivity value of 10 S cm at room temperature is a goal that can only be achieved with polymer networks including organic solvents as plasticizers [96] or with polymer matrixes like polyacrylonitrile [97] or poly(methyl methacrylate) [98] entrapping a large amount of organic electrolytic solution, i.e., with hybrid and/or gel electrolytes. These electrolytes combine the advantage of the polymer s mechanical properties with the electrochemical properties of the liquid electrolytes. 

The dynamic character of conducting polymers has been used to advantage in the development of new smart membrane technologies.68,69 70 71 72 A membrane consist-... 

Application of conducting polymers, which may also be of advantage for electron-beam lithography. 

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