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Dynamic Stability of Organic Conducting Polymers and Its Replication in Electrical Conduction and Degradation Mechanisms
Author(s) -
Chimamkpam Emmanuel F. C.,
Schweizer Thomas,
Hauert Roland,
Schilling Andreas,
Ferreira José M. F.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201002185
Subject(s) - materials science , electrical conduction , polymer , thermal conduction , dopant , chemical physics , mechanism (biology) , degradation (telecommunications) , nanotechnology , conductive polymer , doping , optoelectronics , computer science , composite material , chemistry , physics , telecommunications , quantum mechanics
The evolving usefulness of organic conducting polymers, of metallic or semiconducting type, is primarily dependent on their mechanisms of electrical conduction and degradation. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for improving the efficiency and lifetime of technologies derived from this class of polymers. There is demand for a model that provides a vivid and more precise evaluation of the electrical conduction mechanism in these polymers – especially when they act as hosts to guest species, such as acid dopant ions and nanoparticles. If, for example, the motional behavior of a host–guest organic conducting polymer structure, as related to dynamic stability, is either asynchronous or synchronous, is this reflected in the mechanism of electrical conduction and does it account for the pace of material's degradation? Here, we demonstrate that the answer is affirmative: asynchronous structural motions arising due to loosely bound or free guest species within the host polymer lead to anomalous electrical conduction mechanisms, increased fragility and short lifetime, at odds with the synchronous behavior.