Temperature-dependent dc transport in polyaniline chains

The dc conductance of one-dimensional polyaniline is studied as a function of temperature. We use a simple tight-binding model to describe the electronic properties of the polymer chains. From this approach we derive the transmission coefficient of the chain, which determines the conductance at $T=0\mathrm{}\mathrm{K}.$ Dissipative processes are introduced via a respective lifetime τ. We evaluate the applicability of linear-response theory and calculate the corresponding rate in this limit using the Kadanoff-Baym (many-particle) approach. Thus, the Pauli principle is explicitly taken into account for the individual inelastic scattering events. The determination of τ enables us to calculate the conductance of the polymer chains at finite temperatures within the Landauer-Büttiker approach using a simple Green’s-function method.