The origins and early history of conjugated organic polymers : organic semiconductors, synthetic metals, and the prehistory of organic electronics / Seth C. Rasmussen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rasmussen, Seth C., author.

Series:

Oxford scholarship online.

Oxford scholarship online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Conjugated polymers--History.

Conjugated polymers.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (448 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2025]

Summary:

Conjugated organic polymers first drew significant interest in the late 1970s when metallic-looking plastic films of polyacetylene were shown to exhibit conductivities in the metallic regime after treatment with various oxidizing agents. These results formed the basis for awarding Alan MacDiarmid, Alan Heeger, & Hideki Shirakawa the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. However, reports of electrically conductive polymers date back to the early 1960s, with the study of conjugated polymers as a whole dating back to the early 19th century. This work rethinks the accepted historical narrative of conjugated organic polymers, challenges the established interpretations, & provides new insights into these fascinating electronic materials. Using a range of reader-friendly figures, tables, and illustrations, this book charts the history of the first six primary parent polymers.

Contents:

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chronology

1 Introduction

1.1 Polymers and plastics

1.2 Doped conjugated polymers and the birth of synthetic metals

1.3 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the history of conductive polymers

References and Notes

2 Polyaniline

2.1 Introduction

2.2 A brief history of aniline

2.3 Runge and the oxidation of aniline

2.4 Fritzsche and continued studies of oxidation products

2.5 The birth of commercial aniline dyes

2.6 Electrolysis of aniline: Letheby, Coquillion, and Goppelsroeder

2.7 Other early efforts to determine the composition and structure of aniline black

2.8 Willstatter, Green, and the elucidation of structures

2.9 Evolution of the conductive nature of aniline products

2.10 Adams, Diaz, and a return to electrochemical studies

2.11 New applications of polyaniline

2.12 MacDiarmid and polyaniline "rediscovered''

2.13 Conclusions

3 Polypyrrole

3.1 Introduction

3.2 A brief history of pyrrole

3.3 Angeli and pyrrole black

3.4 Ciusa and heterocyclic analogs of graphite

3.5 Weiss and conducting polypyrrole

3.6 The University of Parma and pyrrole black revisited

3.7 Diaz and electropolymerized polypyrrole films

3.8 Conclusions

4 Polyphenylene and poly(phenylene vinylene)

4.1 Introduction

4.2 A brief history of benzene

4.3 Goldfinger, Kern, and the polycondensation of 1,4-dihalobenzenes

4.4 Kovacic and the oxidative polymerization of benzene

4.5 Jozefowicz and Buvet and the oxidative polymerization of dilithium benzene species

4.6 Pohl, Labes, Beck, and further electronic measurements of polyphenylene

4.7 Stille and new routes to polyphenylenes

4.8 Yamamoto and polyphenylene via Kumada cross-coupling.

4.9 Campbell, Goldberg, and the introduction of poly(phenylene vinylene)

4.10 Kossmehl and more detailed studies of PPV

4.11 Horhold and additional studies of PPV

4.12 Conclusions

5 Polyacetylene

5.1 Introduction

5.2 A brief history of acetylene

5.3 Early studies of acetylene polymerization

5.4 Natta and linear polyacetylene

5.5 Additional studies of acetylene polymerizations

5.6 Hatano, Ikeda, and the Tokyo Institute of Technology

5.7 Shirakawa, Pyun, and polyacetylene films

5.8 Berets, Smith, and effects of gases on the conductivity of polyacetylene

5.9 MacDiarmid, Heeger, and poly(sulfur nitride)

5.10 Doped polyacetylene films

5.11 Shirakawa, Ikeda, and continued study of polyacetylene films

5.12 Continued study of doped polyacetylene films without Shirakawa

5.13 Naarmann and focused efforts to maximize conductivity

5.14 Conclusions

6 Polythiophene

6.1 Introduction

6.2 A brief history of thiophene

6.3 Early thiophene polymerizations via acids

6.4 Yamamoto and polythiophene via Kumada coupling

6.5 Polythiophene via electropolymerization

6.6 Kossmehl and polythiophenes via chemical oxidation

6.7 Heeger, Wudl, and the further study of polythiophene

6.8 Polyalkylthiophenes

6.9 Conclusions

7 Polyisothianaphthene and the Birth of Low-Bandgap Polymers

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Wudl, Heeger, and polyisothianaphthene

7.3 Additional studies on polyisothianaphthene

7.4 Expanding the family of low-bandgap polymers

7.5 Conclusions

8 Retrospective on the Search for Organic Conductors and the Nature of Discovery

8.1 Introduction

8.2 From carbon black to conducting polymers

8.3 Early applications and the first devices

8.4 Nobel Prize 2000.

8.5 The nature of discovery

8.6 Conclusions

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource and publisher information; title from PDF title page (viewed on May 29, 2025).

ISBN:

0-19-763819-8

0-19-763817-1

0-19-763818-X

OCLC:

1513264536