Alan MacDiarmid - Conducting Polymers

Articles in this Topic Discussions in this Topic

Nov 28, 2004

Alan MacDiarmid was born April 14, 1927, in Masterton, New Zealand. His parents were Archibald MacDiarmid and Ruby (nee Graham). He was the fifth of five children. His father was an engineer. MacDiarmid remembers his family life as close-knit and generous. His early years were during the Great Depression, and the family struggled with finances.

MacDiarmid found a chemistry book that he checked out repeatedly from the public library when he was 10. He spent a year going through all the experiments described in the book. His love of chemistry stayed with him. MacDiarmid left high school at 16 to earn his own way. He found a job working in a chemistry lab at Victoria University College. A lecturer asked for his help in preparing some S₄N₄. He was fascinated with the color of the orange crystals. And, the experiment would have a direct impact on a later opportunity.

MacDiarmid took courses at Victoria University College part time and worked part time, earning a BSc in 1947 and an MSc in 1951. After receiving his BSc, he became a demonstrator in the undergraduate labs. His masters paper was published in Nature. He went to the University of Wisconsin on a Fulbright Fellowship (from the US Department of State) and received a PhD in inorganic chemistry in 1953. During this time, he met and later married Marian Mathieu.

MacDiarmid received a second PhD at Cambridge University in 1955, working on a New Zealand Shell Graduate Scholarship. He was on the faculty at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland for one year, and then he accepted a position in the chemistry department at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia where he would remain for the rest of his career. A physicist, Alan Heeger, asked him about (SN)_x, a highly conducting material. MacDiarmid, who was familiar with S₄N₄, agreed to prepare the (SN)_x as golden crystals.

In 1975, MacDiarmid was a visiting professor at Kyoto University in Japan. He spoke about his work with (SN)_x. Professor Hideki Shirakawa showed him some (CH)_x, which a graduate student in his lab had created quite by accident. MacDiarmid invited Shirakawa to spend a year at the University of Pennsylvania, and they began a collaboration that would lead to a shared Nobel for MacDiarmid, Shirakawa, and Heeger. Their work involved the discovery and development of metallic conductivity in an organic polymer. The practical applications of their discovery include rechargeable batteries, EMI shielding, stealth applications, flexible "plastic" transistors and electrodes, and more.

MacDiarmid continued to teach, as well as conduct research, and valued the discussions and ideas of students and colleagues. He is said to keep a pen and

Go To Page: 1 2

The copyright of the article Alan MacDiarmid - Conducting Polymers in Biographies of Scientists is owned by . Permission to republish Alan MacDiarmid - Conducting Polymers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.