Recent trends on synthetic approaches and application studies of conducting polymers and copolymers: a review

Conducting polymers (CPs) have been the subject of extensive investigation due to their electrical, optical and mechanical properties, easy of synthesis and ease of fabrication and high environmental stability. The present review discusses the fundamentals properties of CPs associated with charge generation, followed by various chemical and electrochemical methods of polymerization of these polymers. The synergetic effects in these polymers observed upon copolymerization as well as upon the incorporation of conjugated molecules have also been highlighted. Various investigations based on the synthesis of copolymers of a variety of conducting polymers have been deliberated. At the end of the review, some of the current applications in the field of energy, supercapacitors, solar cells, energy storage, fuel cells, medical diagnostics, sensing devices, bioimaging and photodynamic therapy are also discussed. The review aims to provide a comprehensive outlook about the latest developments in this field.

Automated summary

Conducting polymers have been extensively studied due to their unique electrical, optical, and mechanical properties, as well as their ease of synthesis and high environmental stability. This review discusses the fundamental properties of conducting polymers, various methods of polymerization, and the synergistic effects observed in these polymers. Current applications in energy, medical diagnostics, and sensing devices are also discussed.