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Polymer: A chemical compound or mixture of
compounds formed by polymerization and
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consisting
essentially of repeating structural units
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Electronics: A branch of physics that deals with
the emission, behavior, and effects of
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electrons
(as in electron tubes and transistors) and with electronic devices
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In
constructing a polymer electronic device we are fundamentally interested
controlling
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the flow of
energy
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· Where and how it is absorbed
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· Where and how it flows
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· Where and how it is emitted
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Also: How the device interacts with the environment around it
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There
are now many different types of polymer based electronics:
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Transistors,
Light Emitting Diodes, Photovoltaic, Sensors are just a few examples.
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To
fully understand and appreciate the difficulties with polymer based
electrons we first
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need
to review more conventional device technologies (i.e., metals, oxides and
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inorganic
semiconductors).
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