Conducting polymers dedoping dopant

It has been established that when polyelectrolytes are incorporated as dopants in PAn, the switch from conducting to nonconducting material is shifted to very-high-pH solutions, enabling electrochemistry to be carried out on PAn in neutral solutions.37 Poly(methoxyanilines) have been used as the basis of electromechanical actuating changes in dimensions in the thickness direction of more than 20% were reported as the polymers are doped and dedoped.38-39 Similar effects are observed if some level of self-doping is introduced into the PAn backbone.40... 

Polypyrrole (4.123), a semiconducting polymer, is rather stable towards UV irradiation, which can even increase its conductivity. However, the stabiUty of polypyrroles against UV irradiation depends on the type of dopant present in the polymer [1520]. Tetrafluoroborate doped polypyrrole (4.124), when exposed to UV radiation, shows a rapid deterioration of electrical conductivity, with a conductivity loss ratio of 0.62 after exposure for 90 h. During the irradiation, polypyrrole tetrafluoroborate undergoes a dedoping reaction, whereby tetrafluoroborate ions decompose to fluoride ions and volatile boron trifluoride gas. 

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