ABSTRACT
1 INTRODUCTION
The field of Conducting Polymers spanning as it does interests in novel physics, novel polymer synthesis and processing and unique intrinsic properties is a rapidly moving one and perhaps a good place to start in any overview is to briefly consider how the balance of the themes/topics published in 1989 (as a reflection of the current research activity) and of the papers in this book (as a signpost for the future) compare. Figure 1 shows an analysis based on Dr Österholm's1 reading of the 1989 literature and my own assessment of this particular meeting. The dominant change, as is readily apparent from these data, is the shift from assessment of properties towards assessment of potential applications with the concomitant increasing interest in processing.
