4. Conclusions

Since the discovery in 1977 of the high electrical conductivity of doped polyacetylene, the field of conjugated polymers has seen dazzling development, culminating in a Nobel Prize and the commercialization of numerous applications based on plastic electronics (display devices, antistatic films, etc.). More recently, numerous academic and industrial research groups have turned their attention to the use of these same materials as active components in chemical and biological sensors. Although this field is still in its infancy, the first devices developed suggest enormous potential for rapid, simple, inexpensive, sensitive and selective detection of molecules as diverse as TNT, sugars, proteins, enzymes and DNA; the only drawback may be the lack of stability of organic materials under real-life conditions of use (exposure to atmosphere or solution), particularly when prolonged use is required....