ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE POLYMER FIBERS WITH MESOSCOPIC DIAMETERS .1. STUDIES OF STRUCTURE AND ELECTRICAL-PROPERTIES

Different types of conductive polymers have been synthesized within the pores of nanoporous microfiltration membranes. These membranes contain linear, cylindrical pores of varying diameter from 10nm to 10 mu m. When synthesized within these pores, the conductivity of the polymer increases compared to the conductivity of a polymer film synthesized on a planar electrode. The enhancement in conductivity increases with decreasing pore diameter. In addition to the electrical measurements, X-ray diffraction, computer modelling and infra-red spectroscopy have been used to evaluate the structural properties of these polymer fibres. The level of enhancement is also shown to be dependent on the type of monomer and counterion used in the polymerization.