Conjugated conducting polymers history

Armand (1994) has briefly summarised the history of polymer electrolytes. A more extensive account can be found in Gray (1991). Wakihara and Yamamoto (1998) describe the development of lithium ion batteries. Sahimi (1994) discusses applications of percolation theory. Early work on conductive composites has been covered by Norman (1970). Subsequent edited volumes by Sichel (1982) and Bhattacharya (1986) deal with carbon- and metal-filled materials respectively. Donnet et al. (1993) cover the science and technology of carbon blacks including their use in composites. GuF (1996) presents a detailed account of conductive polymer composites up to the mid-1990s. Borsenberger and Weiss (1998) discuss semiconductive polymers with non-conjugated backbones in the context of xerography. Bassler (1983) reviews transport in these materials. 

A review of the history of the development of silicon MEMS shows that production of single devices for mass markets has been the dominant pattern in commercialization. The first products were pressure sensors for the automobile mass market. Next came the accelerometers for the same market, and more recently optical switches and ink-jet printheads. Similar parallels can be seen in the development of conducting polymer devices. Of the wide variety of prototype sensors, actuators, and electrical components that have been demonstrated over the past 10-15 years, only polymer LEDs have been completely commercialized. Smart systems utilizing MEMS and conjugated polymers, which were anticipated to be the killer app, have yet to make their appearance. 

E. T. Strom and S. C. Rasmussen, ed., Electrically Conducting Plastics Revising the History of Conjugated Organic Polymers In 100- - Years of Plastics. Leo Baekeland and Beyond, Strom, ACS Symposium Series 1080, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 2011. 

Polyacetylene remains the archetype of this second class of materials. However, despite a high conductivity, its instability in atmospheric conditions constitutes a major obstacle to practical applications. A milestone in the young history of conjugated polymers is the synthesis of more stable heterocycle-based polymers such as polypyrrole [3] and polythiophene (PT) [4,5] in the early 1980s, together with the discovery that these polymers can be easily obtained in their oxidized conducting form by means of a one-pot single-step electrochemical synthesis. 

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