'Plastics' that conduct electricity hold promise of lucrative commercial applications

Citation

(1998), "'Plastics' that conduct electricity hold promise of lucrative commercial applications", Sensor Review, Vol. 18 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.1998.08718cab.002

'Plastics' that conduct electricity hold promise of lucrative commercial applications

"Plastics" that conduct electricity hold promise of lucrative commercial applications

Keywords Plastics, Publication

Thin, light-weight TV and computer screens made entirely of plastic could be just one of the many new commercial applications of ground-breaking research into conductive polymers ­ "plastic" materials that conduct electricity but are lighter, more flexible and easier to process than the metals traditionally used in electronic components. Other uses for these new materials include aircraft displays, anticorrosion coatings for highways, bridges and other structures, and even camouflage netting used to shield military vehicles from radar.

While conductive polymers have been studied in the lab for two decades, it is only recently that scientists have overcome a number of practical problems, such as the instability of these materials in air, and developed new processing methods to make wide-scale commercial exploitation feasible.

In fact, conductive polymers are creating major opportunities for new product development in many fields, says a new report, Conductive Polymers: Ease of Processing Spearheads Commercial Success, published by Technical Insights. The purpose of this in-depth study is to give corporate strategists and R&D executives a solid understanding of conductive polymers, help them pinpoint potentially profitable applications, and take the right steps to exploit the new technology.

The report aims to provide a detailed discussion of the key materials currently under investigation, as well as an evaluation of applications and markets, including various types of displays, batteries, photoconductors, semiconductors, sensors, antistatic dissipation, anticorrosion coatings and films, and radio-frequency interference shielding.

In addition, it presents a comprehensive directory of the organizations that are currently pursuing research into conductive polymers, complete with information on the projects they are working on, what they have accomplished, as well as contact names, mail and e-mail addresses, phone and fax numbers.

"Some sources estimate that the sales of conductive polymers could reach the billion dollar mark in the next decade. The market for flat screen displays alone is expected to exceed $20 million in 2002. We bring together hard to find information that will help our clients compete in this fast-growing field", says Peter C. Katz, publisher. "Our goal is to give them the tools they need to focus their R&D efforts, from assessing the opportunities to finding the right technology partners".

Conductive Polymers: Ease of Processing Spearheads Commercial Success is available from Technical Insights for $2,100 ($2,175 outside the USA). For further details, contact Peter Savage, Editor-in-Chief, Technical Insights, 32 North Dean Street, Englewood, NJ 07631-2807, USA. Tel: +1 201-568-4744, ext. 231; Fax: +1 201-568-8247. Internet: psavage@wiley.com World Wide Web site at http://www.insights.com