Chapter 15
Challenges and Opportunities: Where Do We Go from Here? 1
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Harry B. Mark, Jr. , and Judith F. Rubinson Downloaded by OHIO STATE UNIV LIBRARIES on September 6, 2012 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: October 10, 2002 | doi: 10.1021/bk-2003-0832.ch015
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Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0172 Department of Chemistry, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057-1227 1
Editors of a volume such as this are instructed that they should include a chapter addressing the questions“Wheredo we go from here?”or“Whatare the directions that are seen for future research and development in the area?”Truth be told, we felt that it would be more than a little risky to make any specific predictions at this time. After all, when Alan MacDiarmid, the 2000 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, published the definitive papers on the conductivity properties of the inorganic polymer, poly(sulfur nitride), a few electrochemists took notice because they could see that this polymer, as an electrode material, would have a very different solution/electrode interface structure and, perhaps, different electron transfer kinetics. No grand new applications were envisioned. However, when his first seminal publications on the organic conducting polymer, polyacetylene, appeared, great breakthroughs and/or new materials were instantaneously predicted. These included superlight all-organic batteries, highly efficient solar energy conversion systems, and organic room temperature superconductors. Although these lines of research have not yet proved as successful as anticipated, the“detours”along the way have led to a multitude of specialized electrochemical applications that never could have been developed without the unique properties of these organic conducting polymer materials. We think it is safe to say that there will be practical batteries developed that rely on a combination of electronic- and ionic-conducting organic polymers, the so-called “Jelly Roll.”Although long-term stability is still a problem with these systems, they have been shown to have very rapid charge/discharge characteristics, and it is just a matter of time before more stable polymers are synthesized. Furthermore, synthetic research will produce materials for“supercapacitors”for
© 2003 American Chemical Society
In Conducting Polymers and Polymer Electrolytes; Rubinson, J., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2002.
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massive energy storage and for stable fuel cells. Synthesis of derivatives of the the original conducting polymers have produced, and are likely to continue to produce, great strides in the area of photovoltaic devices. The ability to tailor the behavior of these polymers by way of attachment of specific structural groups will, no doubt, lead to expansion of their capabilities in areas ranging from electrocatalysis to sensors with a high degree of specificity. Corrosion science should benefitfromthe work of those presently looking at the mechanisms by which conducting polymers lead to inhibition of corrosion. Another area in which we expect to see widespread application is in the area of biomedical research and engineering. The promising results in terms of biocompatibility will very likely lead to their use both for in vitro and in vivo purposes. A colleague recently remarked that“Conductingpolymers are not the answer to everything!” However, drawing on the expertise brought to the table by interdisciplinary teams such as those presently exploring their possibilities, the types and numbers of applications will doubtless continue to expand in the years to come.
In Conducting Polymers and Polymer Electrolytes; Rubinson, J., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2002.
