Electrochemically generated organic polymeric electrodes for application in electronics and optoelectronics

Abstract

In this chapter some practical applications of electrochemically generated polymers will be described. It will be focused on the utilization of electropolymer electrodes in electronic and optoelectronic devices. Electropolymerization is a very versatile procedure that can be used to construct organic films over metallic contacts or over transparent conducting oxides. By electing the correct polymerization group and the correct desired functionality, a significative number of monomers can be designed and synthetized to generate polymers. Some examples of devices based on electrogenerated organic polymers are solar cells, supercapacitors, and electrochromic devices. Solar cells convert sunlight in electric energy. Light absorption by the photoactive material produces electron-hole pairs, which are later separated, and they travel to the electronic contacts generating an electric work. Supercapacitors can store the energy generated by other energy sources with the ability to transform it in electric energy for its utilization when it is necessary.