Doping-dedoping-driven optic effect of pi-conjugated polymers prepared in cholesteric-liquid-crystal electrolytes.

Chiral conjugated polymers were synthesized by electrochemical polymerization in a cholesteric-liquid-crystal (CLC) electrolyte. The polymers display a characteristic finger print texture similar to that of CLC. The natural optical activity of the polymers was successfully controlled by the electrochemical doping-dedoping procedure. The finding of this unprecedented mechanism, involving doping of pi-conjugated systems, can be an important advance in the development of plastic optoelectronics based on conductive polymers.