Polythiophene perspective

Ten years ago, the only predecessor of this book. Handbook of Oligo- and Polythiophenes, edited by Denis Fichou, was published by Wiley. Since then, a number of important advances, new approaches and new applications have emerged in thousands of peer-reviewed papers and patents. The time has come to reassess the achievements and outline the perspectives of the field. Several authors in that first handbook, other key players and emerging new names in the field have lent us their help, contributing their review chapters to the present book. It is due to their diligent efforts that we are proud to announce the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource covering all important aspects of conjugated thiophene materials. 

The book is structured into four areas, describing the principles of molecular design and synthesis of oligo- and polythiophenes (Chapters 1-6), insight into their properties from the perspectives of quantum chemical calculations (Chapters 7 and 8), the fundamental aspects of the special electronic, photonic and self-assembly properties of oligo- and polythiophenes (Chapters 9-13) and, finally, the applications of thiophene-based materials in electronic and optoelectronic devices (Chapters 14-22). 

Miklos Kertesz and co-workers, in Chapter 7, gives theoretical perspectives on the question that spurred a great number of synthetic efforts - the bandgap control in polythiophene. Although a one-time holy grail of the field, a vanishingly low-bandgap polymer, is still not within reach, the concepts developed on this journey have important practical applications, e.g. in photovoltaic materials. 

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