Polyacetylene

Name:
Polyacetylene
Detailed information:
A linear polymer of acetylene having alternate single and double bonds, developed in 1978. It is electrically conductive, but this property can be varied in either direction by appropriate doping either with electron acceptors (arsenic pentafluoride or a halogen) or with electron donors (lithium, sodium). Thus, it can be made to have a wide range of conductivity from insulators to n- or p-type semiconductors to strongly conductive forms. Polyacetylene can be made in both cis and trans modifications in the form of fibers and thin films, the conductivity of the fibers increasing with their degree of orientation. Films can be applied on glass or metal substrates. Though still in an experimental stage, these polymers have significant possibilities for industrial applications, e.g., in batteries.See cyclooctatetraene.