Polyacetylene (
IUPAC name: polyethyne) usually refers to an
organic polymer with the repeating unit (C
2H
2)
n. The name refers to its conceptual construction from
polymerization of
acetylene to give a chain with repeating
olefin groups. This compound is conceptually important as the discovery of polyacetylene and its high
conductivity upon
doping helped to launch the field of organic
conductive polymers. The high electrical conductivity discovered by
Hideki Shirakawa,
Alan Heeger, and
Alan MacDiarmid for this polymer led to intense interest in the use of organic compounds in
microelectronics (
organic semiconductors). This discovery was recognized by the
Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2000. Early work in the field of polyacetylene research was aimed at using doped polymers as easily processable and lightweight "plastic metals." Despite the promise of this polymer in the field of conductive polymers, many of its properties such as instability to air and difficulty with processing have led to avoidance in commercial applications.