with the objective of evaluating the role of the chemical nature and packing density of polymer structure elements in forming current-conducting structures, the authors have investigated the possibility of conferring electrical conductivity on fibres based on various polymers. as substrates in the metallization we used cellulosic (scoured cotton and freshly spun viscose), and protein fibres (natural silk), and also freshly spun and heat-set nitron-s polyacrylonitrile fibres prepared by the aqueous thiocyanate method as the result of a series of preliminary experiments we selected time, temperature, and concentration conditions for the metallization which ensured obtaining fibres with electrically conducting properties. in the fibres obtained the authors determined the total amount of nickel precipitated in the fibres (ni//t//o//t), including that which was bound up in the form of the sulfide (ni//s//u//l//f) and that which was reduced to the metallic state (ni//m//e//t) experimental data indicate that the chemical and physical structure of the fibre exerts a considerable effect on the mechanism of the reactions which occur and the character of the distribution of the products which are deposited on the polymeric substrate. naturally the composition and amount of the reaction products which are deposited on the fibre are reflected considerably in its electrically conducting properties. 6 refs