University Patents, Inc.

Paul J Nigrey

Alan G MacDiarmid

Alan J Heeger

Conjugated polymers are doped with ionic dopant species to a preselected room temperature electrical conductivity ranging from that characteristic of semiconductor behavior to that characteristic of metallic behavior, by means of reversible electrochemical doping procedures. The doping procedures are carried out in an electrochemical cell wherein the polymer to be doped is employed as one or both of the electrodes, and the electrolyte is a compound which is ionizable into the ionic dopant species to a p-type material; or if used as the cathode, becomes doped with a cationic dopant species to an n-type material.

Reversible electrochemical doping of conjugated polymers and secondary

A secondary battery comprises at least one electrode having as an active materials a conjugated polymer, the polymer being doped to an electrically conducting state. Particularly, the battery may comprise the polymer as a cathode and a lithium anode.

Conjugated polymers are doped with ionic dopant species to a preselected room temperature electrical conductivity ranging from that characteristic of semiconductor behavior to that characteristic of metallic behavior, by means of reversible electrochemical doping procedures. The doping procedures are carried out in an electrochemical cell wherein the polymer to be doped is employed as one or both of the electrodes, and the electrolyte is a compound which is ionizable into the ionic dopant species. Upon operation of the cell, the polymer, if used as the anode, becomes doped with an anionic dopant species to a p-type material; or if used as the cathode, becomes doped with a cationic dopant species to an n-type material. The electrochemical doping reactions and their reverse electrochemical undoping reactions are utilized as the charging and discharging mechanisms of novel lightweight secondary batteries which employ doped or dopable conjugated polymers as one or both of their electrodes.

Batteries having conjugated polymer electrodes

Conjugated polymers are doped with dopant ions to a preselected room temperature electrical conductivity ranging from that characteristic of semiconductor behavior to that characteristic of metallic behavior, by means of an electrochemical procedure wherein the polymer is employed as one or both of the electrodes of an electrolytic cell, including as the electrolyte a compound which is ionizable into the dopant ions. Upon electrolysis of the electrolyte, the polymer, if used as the anode, becomes doped with anionic dopant ions to a p-type material; or if used as the cathode, becomes doped with cationic dopant ions to an n-type material. The above-described electrochemical doping procedure finds particularly useful application in the charging of novel secondary batteries in which a doped conjugated polymer is employed as one or both of the electrodes. Such secondary batteries, in their charged state, comprise a metal whose Pauling electronegativity value is no greater than 1.6, or a conjugated polymer doped with dopant cations of said metal, as the anode-active material; a conjugated polymer doped with dopant anions as the cathode-active material; and a compound which is ionizable into the dopant ions as the electrolyte. In the initial discharged state of such secondary batteries, the polymer is in undoped form, and charging of the battery is effected by electrochemical doping of the polymer with the dopant ions of the electrolyte.

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Philadelphia, PA, United States of America

Paul J Nigrey