Synthetic Metals, 55-57 (1993) 3623-3631 3 623 CONDUCTIVE POLYMERS: EVALUATION OF INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS S. ROTH Max-Planck-Institut far Festk0rpefforschung, Heisenbergstrasse 1, D-7000 Stuttgart 80 (Germany) W. GRAUPNER Institut flit Festk0rperphysik, Technisehe Unlversit~tt, Petersgasse 16, A-8010 Graz (Austria) ABSTRACT A review is given on industrial applications of synthetic metals. Although this review is not com- plete and the companies named are chosen somewhat at random, we are confident that the evidence presented convincingly supports the assertion that "the promise of the 1970's is reality in 1992". INTRODUCTION The purpose of this contribution is to report on industrial applications of the materials into which we have put so much basic research. We want to share with our colleagues our feeling, that - after all - our efforts seem to have been worthwhile not only from the intellectual but also from the com- mercial point of view. As Professor Heeger has stated in the opening lecture of this meeting, "the promise of the 1970's is reality in 1992" [1]. This review is motivated by the joint European Research Project HICOPOL, which is part of the Brite/Euram Program (HICOPOL stands for "Highly Conductive Polymers", Brite for "Basic Re- search in Industrial Technologies for Europe", and Euram for "European Research on Advanced Materials"). Within HICOPOL there is a "task" of observing the industrial development in the field and of summarising it in a report. Intermediate results, collected en route, are presented here. In this early stage our collection is quite sporadic. We know that this is a risk, in particular, because we don't hesitate to use company names. We encourage all readers to communicate to us further inputs for the planned report. We thank all colleagues and companies for the inputs furnished so far. Some of the items mentioned here have been discussed in more detail in the "6th European Phys- ical Society Industrial Workshop", held in Lofthus, Norway, 1990 [2] and others will be treated at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop "Applications of Intrinsically Conducting Polymers", October 12-15, 1992, Burlington, Vermont [3]. 0379-6779/93/$6.00 © 1993- Elsevier Sequoia. All rights reserved