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Polythiophenes (PTs) are polymerized thiophenes, a sulfur heterocycle. They can become conducting when electrons are added or removed from the conjugated π-orbitals via doping. The study of polythiophenes has intensified over the last three decades. The maturation of the field of conducting polymers was confirmed by the awarding of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Alan J. Heeger, Alan MacDiarmid, and Hideki Shirakawa "for the discovery and development of conductive polymers". The most notable property of these materials, electrical conductivity, results from the delocalization of electrons along the polymer backbone – hence the term "synthetic metals". However, conductivity is not the only interesting property resulting from electron delocalization. The optical properties of these materials respond to environmental stimuli, with dramatic color shifts in response to changes in solvent, temperature, applied potential, and binding to other molecules. Both color changes and conductivity changes are induced by the same mechanism—twisting of the polymer backbone, disrupting conjugation—making conjugated polymers attractive as sensors that can provide a range of optical and electronic responses. A number of comprehensive reviews have been published on PTs, the earliest dating from 1981. Schopf and Koßmehl published a comprehensive review of the literature published between 1990 and 1994. Roncali surveyed electrochemical synthesis in 1992, and the electronic properties of substituted PTs in 1997. McCullough's 1998 review focussed on chemical synthesis of conducting PTs. A general review of conjugated polymers from the 1990s was conducted by Reddinger and Reynolds in 1999. Finally, Swager ''et al.'' examined conjugated-polymer-based chemical sensors in 2000. These reviews are an excellent guide to the highlights of the primary PT literature from the last two decades. ==Mechanism of conductivity and doping== Electrons are delocalized along the conjugated backbones of conducting polymers, usually through overlap of π-orbitals, resulting in an extended π-system with a filled valence band. By removing electrons from the π-system ("p-doping"), or adding electrons into the π-system ("n-doping"), a charged unit called a bipolaron is formed (see Figure 1). Doping is performed at much higher levels (20–40%) in conducting polymers than in semiconductors (<1%). The bipolaron moves as a unit along the polymer chain, and is responsible for the macroscopically observed conductivity of the polymer. For some samples of poly(3-dodecylthiophene) doped with iodine, the conductivity can approach 1000 S/cm. (In comparison, the conductivity of copper is approximately 5×105 S/cm.) Generally, the conductivity of PTs is lower than 1000 S/cm, but high conductivity is not necessary for many applications of conducting polymers (see below for examples). Simultaneous oxidation of the conducting polymer and introduction of counterions, p-doping, can be accomplished electrochemically or chemically. During the electrochemical synthesis of a PT, counterions dissolved in the solvent can associate with the polymer as it is deposited onto the electrode in its oxidized form. By doping the polymer as it is synthesized, a thick film can build up on an electrode—the polymer conducts electrons from the substrate to the surface of the film. Alternatively, a neutral conducting polymer film or solution can be doped post-synthesis. Reduction of the conducting polymer, n-doping, is much less common than p-doping. An early study of electrochemical n-doping of poly(bithiophene) found that the n-doping levels are less than those of p-doping, the n-doping cycles were less efficient, the number of cycles required to reach maximum doping was higher, and the n-doping process appeared to be kinetically limited, possibly due to counterion diffusion in the polymer. A variety of reagents have been used to dope PTs. Iodine and bromine produce high conductivities〔 but are unstable and slowly evaporate from the material. Organic acids, including trifluoroacetic acid, propionic acid, and sulfonic acids produce PTs with lower conductivities than iodine, but with higher environmental stabilities.〔 Oxidative polymerization with ferric chloride can result in doping by residual catalyst, although matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) studies have shown that poly(3-hexylthiophene)s are also partially halogenated by the residual oxidizing agent. Poly(3-octylthiophene) dissolved in toluene can be doped by solutions of ferric chloride hexahydrate dissolved in acetonitrile, and can be cast into films with conductivities reaching 1 S/cm. Other, less common p-dopants include gold trichloride and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Polythiophene」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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