Chemistry
Conducting Polymers and Their Electrical Conductivity
Quick fact
The first conducting polymer, polyacetylene, can be doped to achieve conductivity comparable to copper, while remaining lightweight and flexible.
Why this is interesting
You know plastics as insulators—the coating on wires, the handle of a screwdriver. But imagine a plastic that can carry an electric current like a copper wire. How can a material built from carbon and hydrogen suddenly become a conductor?