Abstract: A soluble polyene polymer and a method of making the same are disclosed. The polymer is of the class suitable for doping to produce an electrically conductive polymer. The method is generally applicable to acetylenic and aromatic monomers, proven examples of which include acetylene, benzene, anthracene and napthalene. In accordance with the method, the monomer is dissolved in arsenic trifluoride. Arsenic pentafluoride is then introduced into the solution to induce polymerization by what is speculated to be an ionic polymerization reaction. The resulting polymer differs from other polyene polymers in that it is soluble in common organic solvents, and further in that it can be melted without undergoing decomposition, thereby rendering it particularly suitable for processing to form various polymeric articles.

Abstract: The invention relates to a doped polyacetylene film for forming an organic semiconductor or even a conductor of a metallic type. It serves to make the doping more homogeneous and improves the stability over a period of time. The process consists of using as the dopant a salt of an element such as chrome, nickel, iron, titanium, tungsten, or molybdenum belonging to the transition metals, or a salt of an element such as europium or ytterbium belonging to the lanthanides. Doping takes place by immersing the film in a solution having a low dopant concentration, e.g. in toluene, and maintaining the system at low pressure and ordinary temperature for a period of a few days, as a function of the desired doping level and conductivity.