Alan J. Heeger – författare

Conducting and semiconducting (conjugated) polymers have a unique set of properties, combining the electronic properties of metals and semiconductors with the processing advantages and mechanical properties of polymers. Now, thirty-five years after their discovery, metallic conducting polymers have been demonstrated in the laboratory to have electrical conductivities approaching that of copper, and mechanical strengths exceeding that of steel, a remarkable achievement. A wide variety of electrical and optical devices have been demonstrated using semiconducting polymers. Light-emitting devices have been made which are as bright as fluorescent lamps at applied voltages of only a few volts; photovoltaic solar energy conversion using conjugated polymer composites is in industrial production; conjugated polymer transistors, circuits and chips have been demonstrated. Indeed, semiconducting and metallic polymers can be thought of as electronic 'inks'. The advances in printing technology (ink-jet printing, off-set printing, etc) combined with the science and technology of conducting polymers will revolutionize the way in which electronic devices are manufactured. In addition, semiconducting and metallic polymers can be used in applications which require special mechanical properties such as flexibility. The field of semiconducting and conducting polymers has become one of the most attractive areas of interdisciplinary materials science and technology. Ranging from physics, chemistry, electrical and electronic engineering to the optical sciences, this field covers a wide range of competences and interdisciplinary knowledge.

Never Lose Your Nerve! chronicles the ups and downs of a Nobel Laureate's life. Professor Alan J Heeger was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2000 together with Professor Alan G MacDiarmid and Professor Hideki Shirakawa. Filled with humor, this book tells Professor Heeger's story — his love for his family, especially how his wife's love has always been his guiding light, his progress from a young student to an eminent scientist, his passion for the theatre and its impact on his science, his adventures as a successful entrepreneur, and his personal losses. Many think of scientists as risk-adverse individuals but Professor Heeger shows the absolute necessity of risk in research and that scientists are, in fact, risk-addicted, as taking the first, risky step into unfamiliar territory is a step in the right direction towards creativity and great discoveries. Never lose your nerve and you will be rewarded. Life is an exciting adventure and this book clearly demonstrates it, and is for those who are looking to impact others."Perhaps the greatest pleasure of being a scientist is to have an abstract idea, then to do an experiment (more often a series of experiments is required) that demonstrates the idea was correct; that is, Nature actually behaves as conceived in the mind of the scientist. This process is the essence of creativity in science. I have been fortunate to have experienced this intense pleasure many times in my life."Alan J Heeger