Porous pathways: Exploring the future of conducting polymers

Abstract

Conducting polymers (CPs) possess the intrinsic attractive properties of conventional polymers, coupled with unique electronic characteristics reminiscent of metals or semiconductors. Nanostructured CPs have recently gained significant interest for their distinct advantages over bulk counterparts. They demonstrate potential applications in energy storage devices, sensors, and catalysts, attributed to their large surface areas and shortened charge transport paths. A crucial structural aspect in this context includes introducing porous morphologies into CPs, and enhancing their functionality through interconnected channels. In this review, various synthetic methods of nanostructured CPs are introduced, emphasizing two-dimensional (2D) configurations. The primary objective is to achieve high-performance devices with highly organized stacking of conjugated backbones. Particular attention is placed on integrating 2D structures and porous morphologies into CPs through ice-assisted methods and interfacial synthesis. The review also highlights successful applications of porous 2D CPs in practical devices and explores insights into future developments in the porous CPs field.