| In recent years, electroconducting organic polymers have become very promising materials because of their numerous technological applications. These include antistatic and magnetic coating, sensors and actuators, batteries and modified electrodes. The major focus of this project is the design, synthesis and characterization of polymers with the potential for having useful and unique electrical and magnetic properties together with attractive processibility and mechanical characteristics. We explored the use of certain dense polyether compounds or macromolecular scaffolds with functionalities that facilitate charge transfer where fixed ions form a dense matrix in which mobile counter-ions or electrons move. The systems are norminally polymeric in nature and contain functionalities that capture or solvate the appropriate ions or charged species. Certain groups, such as pentafluorobenzyl and nitrobenzoyl groups, are strong electron acceptors and they play the role of ‘electron sponge’ in the material. We prepared several such systems which upon doping by strong electron donors like Na or K produced new materials that exhibit very interesting and important spectroscopic, magnetic and electronic properties. |
