CHANGE IN ELECTRICAL-CONDUCTIVITY OF POLYMERS WITH CONJUGATED BONDS BY MEANS OF H-2+ ION-IMPLANTATION

By means of ion implantation a controlled amount of dopant can be incorporated within a target material. Implantation of ions has been extensively used to modify the conductivity of inorganic semiconductors. Ion implantation can be used to introduce species which cannot be inserted by chemical means. Recently this technique has been used to modify the conductivity of polymers. In polymers it is difficult to determine whether the observed conductivity changes are the result of molecular rearrangements produced by the implantation or the result of specific chemical doping. Ion implantation causes polymer bonds to break and new bonding arrangements to be formed (degradation and cross-link) which presumably make carriers available for conduction. Relevant research activities are reported and discussed.