Preparation of Conducting Polymers by Electrochemical Methods and Demonstration of a Polymer Battery
Hiromasa Goto, Hiroyuki Yoneyama, Fumihiro Togashi, Reina Ohta, Akitsu Tsujimoto, Eiji Kita, and Ken-ichi Ohshima
College of Engineering Sciences, Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan
checked by Daniel Rosenberg
Science Center, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 12138
The electrochemical polymerization of aniline and pyrrole, and demonstrations of electrochromism and the polymer battery effect, are presented as demonstrations suitable for high school and introductory chemistry at the university level. These demonstrations promote student interest in the electrochemical preparation of conducting polymers, where the doping and dedoping processes can be readily understood from the vivid electrochromism displayed by these two polymers.
Supplement
List of materials and equipment; A video of the polyaniline battery connected to the motor and propeller; Figure of the electronic structure of conducting polymers
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