Factors affecting the electrical conductivity of conducting polymers

Metals had been significantly substituted by synthetic polymers in most of our daily requirements, thus relaxing our life. Out of many applied areas, synthetic polymers especially conducting polymers had shown their marked effect and potential. Batteries, pseudocapacitors, superconductors, etc. are the potential zones where conducting polymers are chiefly employed owing to their appreciable conductivity, cost efficiency, and corrosion inhibition nature. Apart from energy storage devices, these conducting polymers find their potential application in biosensors, lasers, corrosion inhibitors, electrostatic materials, conducting adhesives, electromagnetic interference shielding, and others. These all applications including energy storage are due to astonishing properties like high conductivity, flexibility, tuneability, easy processibility, chemical, thermal and mechanical stability, easy and enhanced charge transportation, lightweight, etc. Conducting polymers are extensively studied for their application in energy storage batteries, for which the material under investigation needs to be electrically conductive. However, the conducting nature of these specific conducting polymers is dependent on numerous factors. This review discussed the effect of certain potential factors such as polymerization techniques temperature, doping, bandgap, extended conjugation, solvent, etc. on the electrical/electrochemical conductivity of these conducting polymers. These all factors with their specific variations are found to have a noticeable consequence on the electrical conductivity of the investigated conducting polymer and hence on the energy storage carried by them. This review could be proved beneficial to the readers, who can judiciously implement the conclusions to their research related to conducting polymers and their composites for generating highly efficient energy storage systems.