CONDUCTING POLYMERS

CONDUCTING POLYMERS Ordinary polymers made by the usual methods of polymerization are purely insulators. Conducting polymers are long, carbon based chains composed of simple repeating units called monomers and are capable of conducting currents down to the chain. To make the polymer conductive, they are doped with atoms that donate negative or positive charges (oxidizing or reducing agents) to each unit, enabling the current to travel down the chain. The conductive polymers exhibit either p-type or n-type conductivity depending on the dopant or the doping agent, which is a trace impurity element that is inserted into a substance (in very low concentrations) in order to alter the electrical properties or the optical properties of the substance.

Principal Attractions of Conducting Polymer over Conventional Conducting Materials

Potential ease of processing Relative robustness Light weight Requirements for Successful Commercial Applications Fine balance of conductivity Processability Stability But until recently material researchers could not obtain all three properties simultaneously.

They are much more electrically conductive than the standard polymers but much less than metals such as copper. The conductivity of these materials is characterized by low-charge carrier mobility- a measure of how easily electric charge moves. It limits response speed in the case of a transistor, for example, making the device inefficient.

Classification 1. Conductive element-filled polymer. - A resin or polymer filled with conducting element such as carbon black, metallic fibers, metal oxides, etc. - The polymer acts as the binder to hold the conducting elements together in the solid entity. - They possess reasonably good bulk conductivity - Low cost, light weight, mechanically durable and strong, and easily processable in different forms, shapes, and sizes. 2. Conjugated -electrons conducting polymer. - The backbones or associated groups consist of delocalized electronpairs or residual charges. - Essentially contain a conjugated -electrons backbone, which is responsible for conducting electrical charge. - Presence of conjugated -electron in a polymer increases its conductivity to a larger extent.

3. Doped conducting polymer. - It is obtained by exposing a polymer to a charged transfer agent in either gas phase or in solution. - Doping increases the surface conductivity of the polymer. 4. Coordination conducting polymer (or inorganic polymer). - It is a charge transfer complex containing polymer obtained by combining a metal atom with a polydentate ligand. - The degree of polymerization is small ( 18). - Exhibit corrosion characteristics.
5. Blended conducting polymer. - Obtained by blending a conventional polymer with a conducting polymer either by physical or chemical change, - Can be easily processed, possess better physical, chemical, and mechanical properties.

Important Commercially Produced Conducting Polymers (i) Polyacetylene polymers

Examples: poly-p-phenylene, polyquinoline, polyphenylene-covinylene, poly-m-phenylene sulphide, etc (ii) With condensed aromatic rings Examples: polynanthrylene, polyphenanthrylene, etc. (iii) With aromatic heteroaromatic and conjugated aliphatic units Examples: polypyrrole, polythiophene, polyazomethane, polybutadienylene, etc.

Application of Conducting Polymers 1. Polythiophene - Marketed under the trade name Baytron. - Can be used to make plastics paintable by adding the conductive agent first. - Used also in the electrodes of small, high performance tantalum capacitors found in telecommunications, computer, and automotive products. 2. Contex - A fiber coated with a conductive polymer polypyrrole can be woven to create an antistatic fiber which can be used in the carpet industry.

3. Antiradiation coatings, batteries, catalysts, diecer panels, electrochromic windows, electromechanical actuators, embedded-array antennas, fuel cells, lithographic resists, nonlinear optics, radr dishes, and wave guides.
4. Making of button type batteries. - Longer lasting, rechargeable, and can produce current density up to 50mA/cm2. 5. Producing photovoltaic devices Example: in Al/polymer/Au photovoltaic cells

6. Biosensors and Chemical sensors - Emerging application of electrically conductive polymeric materials - Can convert chemical information into a measurable electrical response. Example: immobilized glucose oxidase can be incorporated into this polymer transducer system, which acts like glucose sensitive biosensor as the enzyme catalyzed oxidation of the glucose produces an oxidant by-product that is measured indirectly.

7. Extensive applications in telecommunication systems, micro electronic devices, biomedical uses, etc.

BIOPOLYMERS These are the high polymers present in living matter, animals, or plants and play a vital role in their structure formation and metabolism.

Groups of Biopolymers based on their Biological or Industrial Importance 1. The carbohydrate group - can be hydrolyzed to give simple monosaccharides Cellulose Abundant natural organic polymer. Main constituent of plants. Sources are woods, cotton, and fibers. Its empirical formula is C6H10O5 and is polyanhydride of glucose (C6H12O6). Mainly used in textiles, papers, and lumbers.

Starch. Consists of two polysaccharides, amylose and amylopectin. Amylose a linear polymer of D-glucopyranose anhydride units linked at 1 and 4 positions through -glucosidic linkage. - molecular weight varies from 10,000 to 400,000.

 Amylopectin - is the water-insoluble portion. - consists of branched chains of -glucose at 1,6positions in addition to 1,4--glucosidic linkages.

Extensively used in the paper industry for making paper board and as adhesives for paper. Use as a principal foodstuff which hydrolyzes to give glucose.

2. The protein group

Includes muscular and connective animal tissues, epidermal tissues and silk and silk worms. Found in cereals, legumes and viruses. Generally contain C, H, N, O, and S. On hydrolysis give amino acids which occur in Zwitterion form.

Natural polyamides consisting of -amino acids joined through amide linkage The amide bond linking -amino acids is called peptide bond and the polymers are called polypeptides.

3. The polynucleotides or nucleic acids Biologically important polymers present in all living things. Takes part in protein and RNA synthesis and in the transfer of genetic information. They are of two types: DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (Ribonucleic acid). The repeated units are known as nucleotides. Regarded as the condensation product of nucleotides, called ribonucleotides or deoxyribonucleotides, which are commonly called polynucleotides.

Three chemical components of nucleotides a. A nitrogen containing heterocyclic base such as adenine [A] and guanine [G] known as purines and thymine [T], uracil [U] and cytosine [C] known as pyrimidines. b. Sugars. Two types of sugar are found in nucleic acids. Dribose in RNA and 2Deoxyribose in DNA. c. A phosphate group. These are responsible for linkage in nucleic acid polymers.

Applications or Importance of Biopolymers Carbohydrates Main source of food. Starch is used as foodstuff in the form of rice, potatoes, wheat, corn, etc. Used in paper industry for manufacture of paper board and adhesives for paper. The brewing industry converts starch to fermentable sugars by enzyme action. Cellulose-forms the main constituents of plants and used mainly in making textiles, paper, and lumber. Cellulose derivatives such as cellulose acetate are quite tough and resistant to the mineral acids and are widely form of plastics. Cellulose nitrate or celluloids is used in preparation of toilet articles, pens, tooth brush, radio dials, motion picture films, drawing instruments, table tennis balls, etc. and in making lacquers.

 Protein form the basis of all life processes. Principal materials of the skin, muscles, tendons, nerves, blood, enzymes, antibodies, and many hormones. Fibrous proteins are linear and insoluble. These include keratin-makes up skin, hair, nail, wool, horns, etc.; collagen-makes up tendon; myosin- makes up muscles; and fibroin- makes up silk. Globular proteins are folded and soluble in water, which make up hemoglobin, fibrinogen, antibodies and enzymes.

 Nucleic acid Natural biologically active high molecular weight compounds. Perform important functions in vital activities. Take part in protein biosynthesis and in the transfer of generic formation.