The Concept of 'Doping' of Conducting Polymers. The Role of Reduction Potentials.
Abstract
The conductivity of certain organic polymers can be raised to the metallic regime by chemical or electrochemical p-doping (oxidation), or n-doping (reduction). Polyacetylene, (CH)x, the prototype conducting polymer, has been studied more extensively than any other conducting polymer and the doping concepts involved appear to be applicable to the other polymer systems. The doping of an organic polymer to the metallic regime is phenomenologically similar to the doping of a classical inorganic semiconductor in that very large increases in conductivity are observed when the material takes up very small amounts of certain chemical species. However, mechanistically it is different in that the doping of an organic polymer involves simply the partial oxidation or reduction of the polymer, each oxidation state exhibiting its own characteristic reduction potential. The dopant ion incorporated may be derived from the chemical dopant species or it may be completely unrelated to it.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1984
- Accession Number
- ADA145480
Entities
People
- A. G. Macdiarmid
- R. B. Kaner
- R. J. Mammone
- S. J. Porter
Organizations
- University of Pennsylvania