Synthesis of highly conducting polystyrene-polyacetylene copolymers

Abstract

Polystyrene-polyacetylene block copolymers were synthesized, via an anionic-to-Ziegler-Natta catalysis, where the amount of polystyrene in the copolymer is well controlled by controlling the monomer concentration at a fixed anionic catalyst concentration. The iodine doped films of the copolymers exhibit very interesting electrical properties, and their electrical conductivities are in the metallic regime for a ratio of polystyrene copolymer ⩽20% . This can be understood as a percolation phenomena supporting a variable range hopping transport mechanism in metallic polyacetylene.