Process for forming dispersions or solutions of electrically conductive conjugated polymers in a polymeric or liquid phase
AssigneeAlliedSignal Inc.
InventorsChien-Chung Han, Lawrence W. Shacklette
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Abstract
This invention relates to a process of forming liquid or solid blends, solutions, or dispersions of electrically conductive doped conjugated polymer dissolved or dispersed in a liquid or polymeric matrix.
Claims13
A process of forming an electrically conductive blend, solution or dispersion comprising an electrically substituted or unsubstituted conductive conjugated polymer dissolved or dispersed in a liquid matrix or polymeric matrix, said process comprises the steps of:
- selecting a matrix liquid or a matrix polymer for the blend, solution, or dispersion, said matrix liquid or matrix polymer having a first solubility parameter;
- doping a substituted or unsubstituted conjugated polymer having a second solubility parameter, which is incompatible with said selected matrix liquid or matrix polymer, with at least one dopant solute to modify the solubility parameter of said conjugated polymer such that the said second solubility parameter of said conjugated polymer is closer to said first solubility parameter of said selected matrix liquid or matrix polymer and said doped conjugated polymers are compatible;
- and
- dissolving or dispersing said doped conjugated polymer in said liquid or polymer matrix to form said electrically conductive blend, solution or dispersion.
A process of forming an electrically conductive solid or liquid dispersion comprised of doped electrically conductive particles of a conjugated polymer dispersed in a liquid matrix or polymeric matrix, said process comprising the steps of
- selecting a liquid matrix or polymer matrix having a first solubility parameter;
- doping particles of a conjugated polymer which is incompatible with said selected liquid matrix or polymer matrix to form electrically conductive particles comprising an ionized electrically conductive conjugated polymer (polymer cation) doped with one or more dopant solutes (anions), and where at least one dopant solute predominates at or near the surface of said particles modifying the solubility parameter, or equivalently the surface energy, of the conjugated polymer particle at or near the surface of said particle to enhance the compatibility of the surface of said particle with said selected liquid or polymer;
- and
- dispersing said particles in said selected liquid matrix or polymer matrix to form said liquid or solid dispersion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.