The coating of different materials with conducting electroactive polymers (CEP), i.e. polyaniline, polypyrrole, polythiophene, and their derivatives, provided by means of chemical polymerization, is briefly reviewed. The topics covered include the deposition of CEP (i) by bulk oxidative chemical polymerization, (ii) by surface-located polymerization, and (iii) by coating of micro- and nanoparticles. The coating of different materials like polymers, polymer particles, ion-exchange membranes, glass, fiber, textile, soluble matrices, inorganic materials is reviewed. The literature reviewed covers a 5-year period, beginning from 1995. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.