EXPLORATORY SYNTHESES OF POLYMERS POSSESSING ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING, LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE, PIEZOELECTRIC, AND NONLINEAR OPTICAL-ACTIVITY

Studies of the synthesis of organic polymers potentially possessing electrically conductive, piezoelectric, and nonlinear optical properties are described. The electrically conducting polymer studies center on polyaromatic quinondiimines, analogs of the known conducting polymer polyaniline. Various polycondensation polymers based on anthraquinone and on heterocyclic quinones were examined. Multiazoarylene polymers were also synthesized by oxidative coupling of aromatic diamines. Their films were found to be n-dopable but were not very conductive. Polyesters and polyformals containing multiazoarylene units also were not highly conductive.