I guess there has to be many applications for such systems.  You should start testing their electrochromic  properties. I expect some red to light blue transitions  with such systems.  I have seen other researchers  functionalize them with 6-10 membered rings and use them as sensors for various  ions and even explosives.

If it can  self assemble in a controlled manner, it can be used for sensing applications. As it has conductivity, it can be utilised in gas sensing. Lot of reports are there using conducting polymers as gas sensors by monitoring their conductivity variation in the presence or absence of gases like ammonia, carbon dioxide etc

Thank you! We still need to run a lot of tests. But is there anything where the non-luminescence is actually desirable?

Intrinsic semiconducting polymers, or polyconjugated polymers, are actually studied for developing the so called organic electronic or printed polymer electronic, which is divided in the three areas of OLED (with light emitting polymers), integrated logic circuits (where light emission isn't relevant), including sensors, and photovoltaic. Conducting polymers found also applications as antistatic layers (e.g. in the old films for cameras) or in military uses like the stealth technology, where polymers like thiophenes could adsorb the radar electromagnetic waves. A stealth fighter, for instance, is an example where non-luminescence is desirable. Ok, sorry for the joke, but in lots of applications as sensors, logic circuits or even photovoltaic, light emitting properties aren't necessary. About how they work, it is quite complicated and long for being explained here, but you can refer to keywords like polyconjugation, band gaps, p-orbitals overlap, self assembling properties, supramolecular ordering, etc..