Electron-phonon scattering in polyparaphenylene

Phonons and the effects induced by them on the electronic spectrum of polyparaphenylene [${\left({\mathrm{C}}_6{\mathrm{H}}_4\right)}_n$], are analyzed. A model of local forces and electronic interactions is used. The results are very insensitive to the long-range structure of the polymer chain. Electron-phonon coupling is also studied within a local formalism which greatly facilitates the calculations and the understanding of the effects of the interactions. It is shown that phonons induce significant changes near the edges of the electronic bands. The gap narrowing, effective-mass enhancement, and mobilities have been calculated. The influence of these polaronic effects on the transport properties of the polymer is considered, as well as its applicability to other conjugated systems.