Electrical and Optical Properties of Conducting Polymer and Carbons in Nano-Scale Periodic Structure and their Intercalation Effects

Abstract

Nano-scale periodic structures of conducting polymer and carbons, which were prepared by infiltration of polymers and carbons in nano-scale interconnected periodic pores in synthetic opals made of regular array of SiO2 spheres and then removing SiO2 by etching, have been found to exhibit novel electrical and optical properties. Their electrical and optical properties in thus fabricated conducting polymer and carbon replicas change drastically upon pyrolysis due to progress of carbonization and graphitization. That is, due to the changes in periodicity, pore size, carbonization degree and crystal structure, electrical conductivity, magnetoconductance and their temperature dependences and optical reflection spectra have changed drastically. These replicas with porous nature can be infiltrated and also intercalated with various materials, resulting in also remarkable changes of properties. The synthetic opal infiltrated with conducting polymer can be electrochemically doped, with which remarkable change of optical properties have been observed due to the shift of the diffraction peak accompanying with the change in refractive index. Alkali metal intercalated carbon and graphite with nano-scale periodic structures have been also studied. The applications of these nano-scale periodic structures of conducting polymer and carbon are also discussed.