Electronics of Conjugated Polymers (I): Polyaniline

TLDR

Conducting polymers, particularly polyaniline, are attractive because of their good conductivity, stability, ease of synthesis, affordability, and redox properties, and they are employed in photovoltaics, OLEDs, and sensors. The review aims to present the synthesis mechanism of polyaniline and its electronic properties. It discusses the oxidative polymerisation process and the resulting electronic characteristics.

Abstract

Conducting polymers have elicited much interest among researchers because of their reasonably good conductivity, stability, ease of preparation, affordability and redox properties compared to other organic compounds. In particular, the electronic and electrochemical properties of conducting polymers have made them find applications in photovoltaic cells, organic light emitting diode and sensors. Among the conducting polymers, polyaniline has received much attention and intensive research work has been performed with the polymer in its native state or functionalized form. This is mainly due to the fact that polyaniline and its derivatives or composites or co-polymers with other materials are easy to synthesise chemically or electrochemically by oxidative polymerisation. The mechanism for the synthesis of polyaniline and its electronic properties are presented in this short review.