The Sub-Committee on Developing Polymer Materials concentrates on the projects concerning the polymers and polymeric systems that have recently received increased scientific attention for various reasons. The term, “a developing polymer material” is not strictly defined. Among such materials, conducting polymers may serve as typical examples. For instance, the number papers published on polyaniline increased each year over the last decade and reached 2500 in just a single year, 2008 (Web of Science). In addition to the conductivity, which is of mixed electronic and ionic type, polyaniline ranks among field-responsive polymers. It can be polarized in an electric field and used in electroreology. The ion-exchange properties, redox activity, or catalytic performance make it of additional interest for potential applications.

Present projects are represented by the terminology related to conducting, electroactive, and field-responsive polymers and also by experimental studies. Polyaniline can be prepared as nanogranules, nanotubes or microspheres. The search for the correlation between molecular structure as reflected by infrared spectroscopy and the supramolecular morphology observed by electron microscopies pose important research problems, and as such is the topic of another wide-ranging project.

Any suggestions for projects that might potentially be attractive to the field of “developing polymer materials” are welcome.

Recently completed projects:

• Polyaniline. Preparation of a Conducting Polymer. Pure Appl. Chem. 74, 857–867 (2002).
• Polyaniline. The Preparation of Thin Films and Colloidal Dispersions. Pure Appl. Chem. 77, 815-826 (2005).

• 2006-028-1-400, Terminology for Conducting, Electroactive and Field-Responsive Polymers, coordinated by  J. Vohlídal.
• 2006-018-2-400, Infrared Spectroscopy of Conducting Polymer Nanotubes, coordinated by M. Trchová.