Electronic polymers are types of plastics that conduct electricity.
Scientists found that by using different concentrations of two solvents, they could control the movement of electrons within the polymers and increase or decrease the plastic's conductivity. The findings were presented March 19 in St. Louis at the annual meeting of the American Physical Society. Polymers are made up of long chains of molecules, like threads, that tend to be wavy and move in different directions. However, there are pockets of threads in the polymers that are straight. Epstein, working with Randolph Kohlman, a former doctoral student at Ohio State, found that the straight threads conduct electricity better than wavy threads.