ABSTRACT
Conducting polymers combine electrical conductivity with a class of materials which is usually renowned for its excellent insulating properties. Conducting polymers have high electron affinities or low oxidation potentials. The polyene structure makes polyacetylene, whether doped or undoped, highly sensitive to moisture and oxygen, and the polymer is therefore best handled in a glove box under an inert atmosphere. Examples of conjugated polymers include polypyrrole, polythiothene, and polyaniline. Conducting polymers actually behave more like highly doped semiconductors than metals. The undoped polymer can take over the role of the semiconductor in a metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistor. High efficiencies and reliability are the principal requirements of light-emitting materials for commercial applications. Conducting polymers have been considered for use in electrochemical capacitors because they provide a combination of high charge density with low materials cost. An electrochemical capacitor resembles a battery in terms of general electrochemical cell design, the difference being that charge storage is capacitive in nature rather than faradic.
