Organic chemical reactions have been used to functionalize preformed conducting polymers (CPs). The extensive work performed on polyaniline (PANI), polypyrrole (PPy), and polythiophene (PT) is described together with the more limited work on other CPs. Two approaches have been taken for the functionalization: (i) direct reactions on the CP chains and (ii) reaction with substituted CPs bearing reactive groups (e.g., ester). Electrophilic aromatic substitution, SEAr, is directly made on the non-conductive (reduced form) of the CPs. In PANI and PPy, the N-H can be electrophilically substituted. The nitrogen nucleophile could produce nucleophilic substitutions (SN) on alkyl or acyl groups. Another direct reaction is the nucleophilic conjugate addition on the oxidized form of the polymer (PANI, PPy or PT). In the case of PT, the main functionalization method was indirect, and the linking of functional groups via attachment to reactive groups was already present in the monomer. The same is the case for most other conducting polymers, such as poly(fluorene). The target properties which are improved by the functionalization of the different polymers is also discussed.
Keywords: conducting polymers; covalent modifications; electrophilic reaction; nucleophilic substitution; solubility.