The field of conjugated, electrically conducting, and electroactive polymers continues to grow. Since the publication of the second edition of the Handbook of Conducting Polymers in 1998, we have witnessed broad advances with significant developments in both fundamental understanding and applications, some of which are already reaching the marketplace. It was particularly rewarding to see that in 2000, theNobel Prize in chemistry was awardedto AlanHeeger, Alan MacDiarmid, and Hideki Shirakawa, recognizing their pathbreaking discovery of high conductivity in
polyacetylene in 1977. This capstone to the field was celebrated by all of us as the entire community has participated in turning their initial discovery into theimportant field that itnowis, almost 30 years later. The vast portfolio of new polymer structures with unique and tailored properties and the wide range of applications being pursued are far beyond what we could have envisioned when the field was in its infancy.
polyacetylene in 1977. This capstone to the field was celebrated by all of us as the entire community has participated in turning their initial discovery into theimportant field that itnowis, almost 30 years later. The vast portfolio of new polymer structures with unique and tailored properties and the wide range of applications being pursued are far beyond what we could have envisioned when the field was in its infancy.
