A key property of conductive polymers is their extended conjugation, usually in the form of alternate double and single bonds along their backbone. However, extended conjugation is not sufficient to make polymer conductive. In addition - and

this is what the dopant does - charge carriers in the form of extra electrons or “holes” have to be injected into the system. Nowadays conductive polymers are being developed for many applications such as for corrosion inhibitors, compact capacitors, antistatic coatings, electromagnetic shielding of computers, and in “smart” windows that can vary the amount of light they allow to pass, etc. A second generation of conjugated polymers has desired properties for applications such astransistors, light emitting diodes, lasers, flat television screens, solar cells, etc. Polymers have the potential advantages of low cost and processability.

This work is focuses on the preparation and characterization of new oligohiophenes - amine derivatives. The goal of the present work was to investigate the photoprocesses taking place in a tetrathiophene / N,N`-Dimethyl-4,4`-Bipyridinium donor acceptor couple as candidates for active layers in photovoltaic cells.