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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Batteries having conjugated polymer electrodes

Patent ·
OSTI ID:6513382

Conjugated polymers are doped with ionic dopant species to a preselected room temperature electrical conductivity ranging from that characteristic of semiconductor behavior to that characteristic of metallic behavior, by means of reversible electrochemical doping procedures. The doping procedures are carried out in an electrochemical cell wherein the polymer to be doped is employed as one or both of the electrodes, and the electrolyte is a compound which is ionizable into the ionic dopant species. Upon operation of the cell, the polymer, if used as the anode, becomes doped with an anionic dopant species to a p-type material; or if used as the cathode, becomes doped with a cationic dopant species to an n-type material. The electrochemical doping reactions and their reverse electrochemical undoping reactions are utilized as the charging and discharging mechanisms of novel lightweight secondary batteries which employ doped or dopable conjugated polymers as one or both of their electrodes.

Assignee:
University Patents, Inc.
Patent Number(s):
US 4442187
OSTI ID:
6513382
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English