Inherently Conducting Polymers — A Versatile and Adaptive Chemical Sensing System

The development of appropriate chemical sensing technologies is necessary if the desire to produce intelligent chemical systems is to be realised. This sensing technology should be generic and preferably, adaptive. Inherently conducting polymers have properties which make the development of a generic adaptive chemical sensing technology possible. In this work, several ways in which the molecular structure can be altered to induce changes in the molecular recognition properties are described. In addition, the ability to change these recognition properties in-situ by application of a potential are discussed. This is important in order to introduce selectivity and sensitivity into the sensor. These aspects can then be enhanced at the signal generation step. Several examples which highlight the ability to generate a range of electrical signals to solve practical sensing problems are presented.