Heeger

Heeger is a surname. The best-known bearer is Alan J. Heeger (born 1936), an American physicist and chemist who shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2000 for the discovery and development of conducting polymers. His work demonstrated that organic polymers can conduct electricity when doped, a finding that helped establish the field of organic electronics and opened up possibilities for flexible electronics and novel optoelectronic devices.

Heeger conducted his research at institutions including the University of California, Santa Barbara, where his group and collaborators explored conjugated polymers such as polyacetylene. The work showed that polymer conductivity could be controlled and enhanced, leading to a new class of materials that combine the properties of plastics with electronic functionality. These advances laid groundwork for later developments in devices like light-emitting diodes, solar cells, and sensors, and they stimulated ongoing research into organic semiconductors and flexible electronics.

As a surname, Heeger is borne by others in various professions, though Alan J. Heeger stands as the most prominent figure associated with the name due to his Nobel-recognized contributions to chemistry and materials science.