Conducting Polymers

Introduction
Usually, Polymers are considered as insulating materials
Polymers are one of the most used materials in the modern
world. Their uses and application range from containers to
clothing
They are used to coat metal wires to prevent electric
shocks.
Brain, neuron are biological polymers
How they transmit signals within the body?
Conducting Polymers
Introduction
Alan J. Heeger, Alan G. MacDiarmid and Hideki Shirakawa have changed
this view with their discovery that a polymer, polyacetylene, can be made
conductive almost like a metal.
Conducting Polymers
Introduction
A polymer which can conduct electricity is termed as
conducting polymer.
It is being said that one day conducting polymers may
be used in place of metals in electrical wiring.
Lighter weight.
They do not corrode
Conducting Polymers
Mechanism of Conduction
Flow of electron from atoms to
atoms

Now if any material having free electrons which can move

will be conducting
Conducting Polymers
Mechanism of Conduction
Band gap
Conducting Polymers
Conducting Polymers

Intrinsic Conducting polymers Extrinsic Conducting polymers

Conducting Polymers Intrinsically conducting polymers

Conducting polymers are also called synthetic metals

Intrinsically conducting polymers are conjugated
materials.
They contain alternating double and single bonds in
their backbone.
Polyacetylene

Polypyrrole
Conducting Polymers Intrinsically conducting polymers

Such polymers contain conjugated pie-electrons in the

backbone which increases their conductivity to a large
extent.
Overlapping of conjugated pie-electrons over the entire
backbone results in the formation of valence bands as well
as conduction bands.
Conducting Polymers Intrinsically conducting polymers

Conduction mechanism
Conducting Polymers Intrinsically conducting polymers

Conduction mechanism
The bands should be partially filled in order to be
electrically conducting, as neither empty nor full bands can
carry electricity
Owing to the presence of partially filled energy bands,
metals have high conductivities
The energy bands of insulators and semiconductors,
however, are either completely full or completely empty.
Conducting Polymers Intrinsically conducting polymers

Electrical conduction could occur only after thermal or photolytic

activation of electrons to give them sufficient energy to jump the gap
and reach into the lower levels of the conduction band
Examples
Conducting Polymers Intrinsically conducting polymers

Conduction mechanism in polyacetylene

Unsaturated polymers consists of hydrogen and sp2 hybridized carbon
atoms

The localized electrons form the backbone of polymer chain and

dominate the mechanical properties.
The electrons in the pi bond are delocalized along the chain and are
responsible for optical and electrical properties of conjugated polymers
Conducting Polymers Intrinsically conducting polymers

Conduction mechanism in polyacetylene

The current along the polymer chains can only flow if one or more
electrons are removed or added to it.

The lone electron of pi bond from which an electron was removed can
move easily.
Due to this, the double bond successively moves along the chain.
Conducting Polymers Intrinsically conducting polymers

Comparison of conductivity with metals