Polyacetylene

Book excerpt: Polyacetylene: Chemistry, Physics, and Material Science reviews the chemistry, physics, and material science of polyacetylene. Topics covered include polymerization and crystal structure of polyacetylene, isomerization, neutral defects, and solitons. Globular morphology and the effect of heat of polymerization on polyacetylene are also discussed, along with doping and chemical reactions of polyacetylene. This book is comprised of 12 chapters and begins with an introduction to a few basic principles of polymer chemistry and solid-state physics, followed by an overview of charge-transfer salts and conducting polymers other than polyacetylene and a historical background on polyacetylene and a general description of its properties. The next chapter gives a detailed treatment of polymerization, with particular reference to the mechanisms and kinetics of acetylene polymerization and direct determination of polyacetylene molecular weight by radioquenching. The remaining chapters focus on the crystal structures and morphology of undoped polyacetylenes; methods of isomerization; spectroscopic, physical, and mechanical properties of undoped polyacetylene; and various chemical reactions of polyacetylene and polymethylacetylene. The probable mechanisms of doping are proposed and theoretical models for polyacetylene are presented. The final chapter considers a few technical applications of polyacetylene. This monograph will be of interest to chemists, physicists, and polymer scientists and engineers.