Fullerene-Based Conducting Polymers:n-Dopable Materials for Charge Storage Application

This article provides a comprehensive review of research related to the formation and electrochemical properties of fullerene-based conducting polymeric materials. The paper begins with an overview of composites containing fullerenes incorporated into the network of a conducting polymer through van der Walls, electrostatic, or guest-host interactions. The properties of these composites are generally a superposition of the properties of the individual components. More attention is devoted to the structures in which fullerene is covalently incorporated into the polymeric network. These structures are generally divided into i) fullerene homopolymers, ii) side chain fullerene polymers, and iii) in-chain fullerene polymers. The procedures used to form these macromolecular structures and assess their conductivity and electrochemical activity are described. Special attention is paid to the description of the electron propagation mechanism within these materials. At the end of this Review, the capacitance performance of fullerene-based conducting polymeric materials are described. A range of their potential applications in charge storage devices is highlighted. The Review concludes with a brief review and personal perspectives on the future directions of research into fullerene-based polymeric materials.