Electrical and optical properties of a novel nonconjugated conductive polymer,poly(β‐pinene)

Electrical conductivity in a novel nonconjugated conductive polymer, poly(β‐pinene), has been measured as a function of molar concentration of iodine. The conductivity increases about 10 orders of magnitude to a maximum value ?8 × 10^?3 S/cm. The molar concentration of iodine, corresponding to saturation, is ?0.85. The optical absorption measurements after light doping have shown two peaks: one at 4.0 eV and the other at 3.1 eV. The first peak is due to the radical cation, and the second due to the charge‐transfer between the double bond and the dopant. As observed in other nonconjugated conductive polymers, the second peak becomes broader and undergoes a red shift, upon higher doping. The FTIR spectroscopic studies have shown that the C?C stretching vibration at 1610 cm^?1 and the ?C? H bending vibration band at 728 cm^?1 decrease upon doping, because of decrease of double bonds. Photoluminescence studies of poly(β‐pinene) show a maximum value at 360 nm for excitation at 280 nm. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 3695–3698, 2005