Abstract
Conductive polymers (CPs) such as polypyrrole (PPY) and PEDOT can exhibit high charge storage capacities, high electronic conductivities, and tunable chemical and optical properties. CPs thus have a wide range of applications in electronic devices, including in organic electronics, sensors, and battery materials. The electrochemical properties of PPY in particular can be controlled to provide high electronic conductivity (up to 200 S/cm) and high redox activity (up to 500 F/g), making it an attractive material for device application. The electrochemical characteristics of PPY are commonly controlled by adjusting polymerization conditions, adding dopants, and forming composites with other polymers. A lesser studied phenomenon is the effect of nitrogen substituents on the electrochemical properties of PPY. In this work, we present an investigation into the charge-transfer mechanisms and electrochemical properties of nanoscale PPY films before and after interchain crosslinking with several different alkyl dihalides. Our investigation involves deposition and alkylation of PPY thin films followed with optical and electrochemical characterization via electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance and spectroscopic ellipsometry. Individual polymer chains in the PPY film are connected across adjacent nitrogens via an alkyl bridge, and the properties of the subsequent films are examined and compared to those of intrinsic PPY and other redox active materials. The results of our ongoing research give insight into new sub-classes of CPs with different redox properties and ion transfer mechanisms from intrinsic PPY. These novel PPY derivatives are low-cost, easy to synthesize, and show promise for application to sensors, ion exchange materials, and charge-storage devices.
Published Version
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