Quasi-one-dimensional transport in conducting polymer nanowires

Recent advances in the synthesis of nanowires based on conducting conjugated polymers are described. The results of recent experimental studies of the electrical properties of polymer nanowires are critically analyzed. The applicability of various theoretical models of tunneling in one-dimensional conductors (variable-range hopping conductivity, Luttinger liquid, Wigner crystal, etc.) to the interpretation of the experimental data on the electronic transport in polymer nanosystems is discussed. A phenomenological model is proposed describing the mechanism of transport in polymer nanowires with allowance for the quasi-one-dimensional nature of molecules of conjugated polymers. The first applications of polymer nanowires in nanoelectronics and prospects for the future are discussed.