Poly(para-phenylene)-based-on-xtal-3D-view-2-sf

Poly(''p''-phenylene) (PPP) is made of repeating ''p''- phenylene units, which act as the precursor to a

conducting polymer Conductive polymers or, more precisely, intrinsically conducting polymers (ICPs) are organic polymers that conduct electricity. Such compounds may have metallic conductivity or can be semiconductors. The biggest advantage of conductive polymer ...

of the rigid-rod polymer family. The synthesis of PPP has proven challenging, but has been accomplished through excess polycondensation with the Suzuki coupling method. Early efforts typically produced black, insoluble powders that were difficult to characterize. For example, a 1962 paper reports "The solid glowed red-hot in a Bunsen flame, with no evidence of flame formation, and disappeared only slowly." (J. Polym. Sci. (1960), 47, 45) Initially, the chemical and thermal stability of the material drove interest in its synthesis. It was used in rocket nozzles and some fabrics requiring high thermal stability.

Oxidation Redox (reduction–oxidation, , ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is the gain of electrons or a ...

or the use of

dopant A dopant, also called a doping agent, is a trace of impurity element that is introduced into a chemical material to alter its original electrical or optical properties. The amount of dopant necessary to cause changes is typically very low. When ...

s is used to convert the non-conductive form to a

semiconductor A semiconductor is a material which has an electrical conductivity value falling between that of a conductor, such as copper, and an insulator, such as glass. Its resistivity falls as its temperature rises; metals behave in the opposite way. ...

References

External links

Rigid-rod polymer host
Polymer chemistry {{Polymer-stub