Conductive Polymers

We have been taught that plastics, unlike metals, do not conduct electricity. Plastic is used as insulation around the copper wires in ordinary electrical cables. Yet, the 2000 Nobel Laureates in Chemistry: Alan Heeger, Alan G. MacDiarmid and Hideki Shirakawa, were rewarded for their revolutionary discovery that plastic can, after certain modifications, be made electrically conductive.

See also:
Illustrated Presentation of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2000  »
Read the Press Release about the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2000 (Information for the Public)  »

Play the Conductive Valley Game