TEMPLATE SYNTHESIS OF ELECTRONICALLY CONDUCTIVE POLYMERS - A NEW ROUTE FOR ACHIEVING HIGHER ELECTRONIC CONDUCTIVITIES

We have recently developed a method for synthesizing microscopic fibers and tubules of electronically conductive polymers. This method entails synthesis of the polymer within the pores of a microporous host membrane. Conductivities in the narrowest of these ''template-synthesized'' tubules and fibers can be significantly higher than in conventional forms (e.g. powders or thin films) of the analogous polymer. These previous conductivity data were based on a two-point measurement of the resistance of the host membrane after synthesis of the conductive polymer fibers within this membrane. In this paper we will show results of conductivity measurements on thin films composed of the template-synthesized tubules and fibers. A four-point conductivity measurement was used on these thin films. These four-point measurements corroborate the earlier two-point conductivity data and, again, show that the template-synthesized materials are significantly more conductive.