Intrinsically conducting polymers ICPs properties

When the first intrinsically conductive polymer (ICP) was discovered by Hideki Shirakawa, Alan G. Mac-Diarmid and Alan J. Heeger at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in the late seventies, it was thought in the initial euphoria that it would not be long before such materials could be put to practical use. The idea was that it ought to be possible to process them more easily and in larger quantities than classical metallic conductors and compared with carbon-blackfilled plastics they were expected to possess better and more uniform conductivity and better mechanical properties. 

Recently the question has been raised as to whether the electrical conductivity of isolated mesoscopic metal particles, that is particles in the submicrometer order of magnitude, and of intrinsic conductive polymers (ICP) have some properties in common. In this section we outline the metallic properties and the origin of mesoscopic conductivity (small metal particles). 

An organic polymer that possesses the electrical and optical properties of a metal while retaining its mechanical properties and processability, is termed an intrinsically conducting polymer (ICP). These properties... 

One of the main limitations of intrinsically conductive polymers (ICP s) towards their wide application as conductive additives for thermoplastics is their poor thermal-oxidative stability at typical melt processing temperatures (i.e., above 200 °C). On the other hand, the use of high surface area carbon blacks (CB) as conductive additives is limited due to the increased melt viscosity of their blends with thermoplastics. Eeonomers are a new class of thermally stable, chemically neutral, and electrically conductive composites made via in-situ deposition of conductive polyaniline (PANI) or polypyrrole (PPY) on CB substrates. Eeonomer composites are more stable (up to 300 °C) than pure ICP s and more easily processible with thermoplastics than CB. Use of Eeonomers as conductive additives for plastics lead to compounds with improved electrical, mechanical, and processing properties. By varying Ae conductive polymer to CB ratio, it is possible to fine tune the polarity of Eeonomer composites and achieve very low percolation thresholds. This control is possible because of preferred Monomer localization at the 2D phase boundary of the immiscible polymer blends. 

Since the discovery of intrinsically conducting polymers (ICPs) in the late 1970s by Heeger, MacDiarmid, and Shirakawa, for which they were awarded with the Nobel prize [232-2 ], the unique combination of physical and chemical properties of ICPs has drawn the attention... 

Intrinsically conducting polymers (ICP) are multi-functional polymers that can offer all of these valuable properties. Incorporating ICPs in the PE... 

The major application area of PE is in packaging and the relevant functional properties are antistatic, antioxidant and antimicrobial, all of which can be highly valuable for these applications. Usually, different additives are incorporated to introduce these new properties into PE. Intrinsically conducting polymers (ICP) are multi-functional polymers that can offer all of these valuable properties. Incorporating ICPs in the PE matrices thus offers the possibility of employing a single additive to achieve antistatic, antioxidant as well as antimicrobial properties. 

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