CONPOLY

CONPOLY - KIT109

Keywords: polymers, materials science, non-linear optics, semiconductors

Start Date: 1 November 1994 / Duration: 36 months

Objectivies and Approach

This collaboration will carry out research on conducting polymers and will provide a continuation of investigations by the partners under the BRITE, RACE and ESPRIT programmes. The focus will be on polymers based on heterocyclic units and polymers containing metals on the backbone. These can have conducting and/or semiconducting properties due to electron delocalisation through the rings. The scientific goal is to gain an understanding of the correlation between the structure and the properties of these materials. The partners will design and synthesize a selected range of such structures to study their electrical, optical and morphological properties.

Progress and Results

Student and staff exchanges have taken place between the EU and South America. Joint research on thiophene oliojoiners is now well under way.

Information Dissemination Activities and/or Exploitation

Much of the work will be published as part of the doctoral theses of Chilean students. Several joint research publications are being prepared. A joint Europe-Chilean workshop on "Active Polymers for Information Technology" was organised in Chile. It was held in Punto de Tralca, from 13 to 16 March 1996, and was attended by top level scientists from both continents as well as by graduate students and research assistants from Chile. The summaries of the workshop contributions have been published by the Universidad de Chile, and can be obtained from the above mentioned contact person.

Coordinator

Physics Department
Trinity College
Dublin, IRL

EU Partners

Trinity College, IRL
Max-Planck Institut, Stuttgart, D
Université de Nantes, F

Non-EU Partners

Universidad de Chile, Santiago, CL

CONTACT POINT

Prof. Werner Blau
Tel: +353 1 608 16 75/20 19
Fax: +353 1 671 17 59
E-mail: nwynn@tcd.ie