A STUDY OF POLYPYRROLE SYNTHESIZED WITH OXIDATIVE TRANSITION-METAL IONS

Polypyrrole powder and films were chemically synthesized by the reaction of AgNO//3, FeCl//3, Fe(NO//3)//3, Cu(NO//3)//2, or Cu(NO//3)//2-AlCl//3 with pyrrole in an aqueous solution or a water-toluene two-phase system. Products were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray analysis (SEM with EDAX), and conductivity measurements. The polypyrrole synthesized from pyrrole with FeCl//3 had a composition of C//4//. //0//0H//3//. //0//5N//0//. //9//9Cl//0//. //2//5. All the other metal salts produced films that had the same organic backbone, morphology, and conductivity as the polymer synthesized using Fe(III) salts, regardless of the considerable differences in the reduction potentials of the metal ions. The nature of the anions of the transition metal salts had no effect on the reaction.