ABSTRACT
Although conjugated organic polymers are typically viewed as modern materials, the earliest examples of these polymers date back to the early 19th century. The modern era of these polymers began with the first reports of their conductive nature in the early 1960s, but advances in the 1970s brought particular focus to these materials with the first example of metallic conductivities. The present account aims to provide an overview of the history of these polymers from their early origins in 1834 to their rapid development in the mid-1980s, focusing primarily on the parent species polyaniline, polypyrrole, polyacetylene, and polythiophene. In addition, the development and growth of critical reference literature such as the Handbook will also be discussed.
