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Conducting Polymers: Structure Characterization, Conductivity, and Application

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymeric Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2023) | Viewed by 6418

Special Issue Editors

Ruđer Bošković Institute, P.O. Box 180, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: conducting polymers; PANI; composites; metal-oxides; TiO2; ZnO2; photocatalysts; electrochemistry; impedance spectroscopy; DFRT; modeling; programming

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb, Marulićev trg 19, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: graphene; conducting polymers; supercapacitors; photocatalysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Materials is dedicated to the development, investigation, and application of conducting polymers. Due to their tunable electrical, structural, and optical properties, conducting polymers are a particular area of interest. They can be synthesized using different electrochemical techniques and by diverse oxidative polymerization approaches. Furthermore, conducting polymers are important components of various applications, such as photocatalysis, sensors, power sources, biomedical technologies, and electrochromic devices.

Nowadays, the demand for green forms of technology that reduce both costs and energy consumption is increasing, and conducting polymers play a vital role in this specific field. Additionally, the challenges related to wastewater treatment are particularly being focused on at present; thus, conducting polymers are crucial, especially if they are used in the form of photocatalyst composites.

The research topics covered in this issue are novel synthesis paths and new findings concerning the structure and conductivity of these polymers. This Special Issue also covers the preparation and application of diverse conducting polymer composites.

One of the specific topics that this issue aims to promote is the utilization and development of different optimization tools/algorithms that can be applied to investigate the diverse properties of conducting polymers. For example, these tools are necessary for the extraction of miscellaneous parameters from data collected using electrochemical, structural, and spectroscopic methods.

Dr. Mark Žic
Dr. Marijana Kraljić Roković
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • conducting polymers
  • composites
  • optimization
  • polymerization
  • spectroscopy
  • green technology

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 8659 KiB  
Article
Formation of PLGA–PEDOT: PSS Conductive Scaffolds by Supercritical Foaming
by Antonio Montes, Diego Valor, Yaiza Penabad, Manuel Domínguez, Clara Pereyra and Enrique Martínez de la Ossa
Materials 2023, 16(6), 2441; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16062441 - 18 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2148
Abstract
The usage of conjugated materials for the fabrication of foams intended to be used as therapeutic scaffolds is gaining relevance these days, as they hold certain properties that are not exhibited by other polymer types that have been regularly used until the present. [...] Read more.
The usage of conjugated materials for the fabrication of foams intended to be used as therapeutic scaffolds is gaining relevance these days, as they hold certain properties that are not exhibited by other polymer types that have been regularly used until the present. Hence, this work aims to design a specific supercritical CO2 foaming process that would allow the production of porous polymeric devices with improved conductive properties, which would better simulate matrix extracellular conditions when used as therapeutic scaffolds (PLGA–PEDOT:PSS) systems. The effects of pressure, temperature, and contact time on the expansion factor, porosity, mechanical properties, and conductivity of the foam have been evaluated. The foams have been characterized by scanning electron and atomic force microscopies, liquid displacement, PBS degradation test, compression, and resistance to conductivity techniques. Values close to 40% porosity were obtained, with a uniform distribution of polymers on the surface and in the interior, expansion factors of up to 10 orders, and a wide range of conductivity values (2.2 × 10−7 to 1.0 × 10−5 S/cm) and mechanical properties (0.8 to 13.6 MPa Young’s modulus in compression test). The conductive and porous scaffolds that have been produced by supercritical CO2 in this study show an interesting potential for tissue engineering and for neural or cardiac tissue regeneration purposes due to the fact that electrical conductivity is a crucial factor for proper cell function and tissue development. Full article
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17 pages, 6285 KiB  
Article
Efficient Day-and-Night NO2 Abatement by Polyaniline/TiO2 Nanocomposites
by Daniela Meroni, Melissa G. Galloni, Carolina Cionti, Giuseppina Cerrato, Ermelinda Falletta and Claudia L. Bianchi
Materials 2023, 16(3), 1304; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16031304 - 3 Feb 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2012
Abstract
Finding innovative and highly performing approaches for NOx degradation represents a key challenge to enhance the air quality of our environment. In this study, the high efficiency of PANI/TiO2 nanostructures in the NO2 abatement both in the dark and under light [...] Read more.
Finding innovative and highly performing approaches for NOx degradation represents a key challenge to enhance the air quality of our environment. In this study, the high efficiency of PANI/TiO2 nanostructures in the NO2 abatement both in the dark and under light irradiation is demonstrated for the first time. Heterostructures were synthesized by a “green” method and their composition, structure, morphology and oxidation state were investigated by a combination of characterization techniques. The results show that the unique PANI structure promotes two mechanisms for the NO2 abatement in the dark (adsorption on the polymeric chains and chemical reduction to NO), whereas the photocatalytic behavior prevails under light irradiation, leading to the complete NOx degradation. The best-performing materials were subjected to recycling tests, thereby showing high stability without any significant activity loss. Overall, the presented material can represent an innovative and efficient night-and-day solution for NOx abatement. Full article
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Review

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39 pages, 5360 KiB  
Review
The Alphabet of Nanostructured Polypyrrole
by Sylwia Golba and Jan Loskot
Materials 2023, 16(22), 7069; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16227069 - 7 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1475
Abstract
This review is devoted to polypyrrole and its morphology, which governs the electroactivity of the material. The macroscopic properties of the material are strictly relevant to microscopic ordering observed at the local level. During the synthesis, various (nano)morphologies can be produced. The formation [...] Read more.
This review is devoted to polypyrrole and its morphology, which governs the electroactivity of the material. The macroscopic properties of the material are strictly relevant to microscopic ordering observed at the local level. During the synthesis, various (nano)morphologies can be produced. The formation of the ordered structure is dictated by the ability of the local forces and effects to induce restraints that help shape the structure. This review covers the aspects of morphology and roughness and their impact on the final properties of the modified electrode activity in selected applications. Full article
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