SYNTHESIS OF ELECTRONICALLY CONDUCTING POLYMERS BY PHOTOPOLYMERIZATION.

A NEW PROCESS IS PRESENTED WHEREBY ELECTRONICALLY CONDUCTINGPOLYMERS ARE SYNTHESIZED USING PHOTOCHEMICAL, RATHER THAN ELECTROCHEMICAL OR CHEMICAL, MEANS. THE PROCESS INVOLVES ILLUMINATION OF AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION CONTAINING PYRROLE AND AN ELECTRON ACCEPTOR WITH ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT. ABSORPTIONOF THE LIGHT INDUCES ELECTRON TRANSFER FROM THE PYRROLE TO THE ELECTRON ACCEPTOR, THEREBY PROMOTING POLYMERIZATION OF THE OXIDIZED PYRROLE MONOMER. THE RESULTANT POLYMER IS AHIGHLY CONDUCTING FILM WHICH ADHERES STRONGLY TO THE SUBSTRATE. THE PROCESS IS FAST, SIMPLE, AND ALLOWS THE DEPOSITION OF CONDUCTING POLYMER FILMS ONTO NON-CONDUCTING SUBSTRATES. PHOTOPOLYMERIZATION OF ELECTRONICALLY CONDUCTING POLYMERS WOULD BE USEFUL FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ELECTROCHROMIC DISPLAYS, RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES, ELECTROCHEMICAL SENSORS, AND FOR ELECTROMAGNETIC SHIELDING. THESE APPLICATIONS HAVE PREVIOUSLY BEEN PROPOSED FOR CONDUCTING POLYMERS, BUT CURRENT METHODS OF SYNTHESIS ARE NOT AMENABLE TO INDUSTRIAL SCALE MANUFACTURE. THE RESEARCH PLAN OUTLINES AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE SYNTHESIS OF ELECTRONICALLY CONDUCTING POLYMERS BY PHOTOPOLYMERIZATION, IN ADDITION TO A CHARACTERIZATION OF THE PROPERTIES OF PHOTO-DEPOSITED CONDUCTING POLYMERS WITH RESPECT TO THEIR CONDUCTIVITY, ADHERANCE TO THE SUBSTRATE, AND THEIR STABILITY.