Conclusions and commercial prospects

Polymer conductivities close to the room-temperature conductivity of copper have been realized in the case of iodine-doped PA ( lO S m ). 

Unfortunately, PA is very unstable in the ambient atmosphere, both infusible and insoluble, and consequently not easy to process. There are, however, many conductive polymers that are reasonably stable and display high values of conductivity ( 10 S m ). The absence of convenient processibility still remains a problem area, with the exception of PAn and polythiophene derivatives, for the majority of the polymers that are doped to form conductive derivatives. Recent reports [125-127], however, suggest that the presence of flexible substituents in certain polymers can provide solution or melt processability without dramatically decreasing conductivities in the doped state. 

Potentially, conductive polymers offer distinct advantages in terms of low density, low cost and ease of processibility. However, in order for these to be utilized more widely, it will be desirable to find new materials that have greater stability. In addition to the exceptional electrical/ electronic and mechanical properties of these materials, other properties such as the nonlinear optical effects [128-130] observed in PAs, not in the past associated with conductive polymers, will most probably be discovered in both previously known and new future materials. 

Conducting Polymers - Molecular Recognition, Advances in Polymer Science Series No. 90, Springer-Verlag, New York (1989). 

Sakotheim, T.A. (ed.) (1986) Handbook of Conducting Polymers, Vols 1 and 2, Marcel Dekker, New York. 

---