5.4 Intercalation of Conducting Polymers

Intercalation of polymers^{96-98  99-111} into zeolites and layered systems has been accomplished.   Typically, the monomer is inserted into the system where it then undergoes polymerization.  In the case of polypyrrole and polythiophene intercalation,^104-106 pyrrole and 2,2’-bithiophene were intercalated into the layered van der Waals system, FeOCl, by heating solutions of the monomer and dimer species to 40-50^oC in the presence of FeOCl crystals.  After intercalation, the monomer and dimer species are polymerized by exposure of crystals to an oxidizing solution.  This process yields materials that have enhanced electrical conductivity over their starting material.  Measurement by x-ray diffraction of these crystals reveals that the conducting polymers in these systems are highly ordered, unlike the amorphous polymers typically formed without a matrix.  Ordered formation of conducting polymers could be useful in the design of molecular electronic materials.