Semiconducting and metallic polymers: the fourth generation of polymeric materials

When asked to explain the importance of the discovery of conducting polymers, I offer two basic answers. First, they did not (could not?) exist, and second, they offer a unique combination of properties not available from other known materials. The first expresses an intellectual challenge; the second expresses a promise for utility in a wide variety of applications. (C) 2000 the Nobel Foundation. Reproduced with the kind permission of the Nobel Foundation.