Electric Conduction Due to Charged Solitons in Polyacetylene

Abstract

In order to estimate the mobility of a charged soliton in polyacetylene, the dynamics of a soliton in an electric field is numerically investigated in the presence of a phenomenological damping of the lattice motion. Except for the damping term in the equation of motion for the lattice displacements, the dynamics is assumed to be determined by Su, Schrieffer and Heeger's model. It is shown that a Drude-type treatment of the soliton motion is applicable. The mobility is found to be μ =88.9, cm²/Volt· sec, and the conductivity is estimated to be σ =7.54× 10³, Ω ^-1, cm^-1 on the assumption that the concentration of the solitons is one per 100 carbon atoms. The present result is compatible with experimental data in the non-magnetic regime.