Semiconducting Polymers

Semiconducting polymers are of great interest for applications in electroluminescent devices, solar cells, batteries, and diodes. This volume provides a thorough introduction to the basic concepts of the photophysics of semiconducting polymers as well as a description of the principal polymerization methods for luminescent polymers. Divided into two main sections, the book first introduces the advances made in polymer synthesis and then goes on to focus on the photophysics aspects, also exploring how new advances in the area of controlled syntheses of semiconducting polymers are applied. An understanding of the photophysics process in this kind of material requires some knowledge of many different terms in this field, so a chapter on the basic concepts is included. The process that occurs in semiconducting polymers spans time scales that are unimaginably fast, sometimes less than a picosecond. To appreciate this extraordinary scale, it is necessary to learn a range of vocabularies and concepts that stretch from the basic concepts of photophysics to modern applications, such as electroluminescent devices, solar cells, batteries, and diodes. This book provides a starting point for a broadly based understanding of photophysics concepts applied in understanding semiconducting polymers, incorporating critical ideas from across the scientific spectrum.