NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE LANGMUIR-BLODGETT MANIPULATION OF ELECTROACTIVE POLYMERS

The fabrication of Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) thin films containing electroactive conjugated polymers has been accomplished using a variety of new techniques. In one case, monolayer forming polyion complexes have been formed from acid derivatized conjugated polymers and stearylamine. Alternatively, stable, mixed monolayers containing a surface active processing aid and the emeraldine base form of polyaniline were successfully manipulated into multilayer thin films. Another variation involved the in situ formation of electrically conductive chains of polypyrrole within a preformed multilayer thin film of ferric stearate. The resultant multilayer films exhibited well defined molecular organizations and achieved electrical conductivities in some cases as high as 5 S/cm.