Effects of UV radiation on the preparation of polypyrrole in the presence of hydrogen peroxide

Abstract

Conductive polypyrrole was synthesized with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as the oxidant. To promote the polymerization of pyrrole, UV radiation was employed. The effects of UV radiation on the preparation of polypyrrole were investigated. The polymerization of pyrrole was conducted with the H2O2 concentration in the range of 0.12–0.96 M and the H2SO4 concentration in the range of 6.8×10−4–0.19 M. The structure characterization indicated that the product polypyrrole was overoxidized partly depending on the concentrations of H2SO4 and H2O2. The increase in H2O2 concentration led to a slight increase in the oxidation and overoxidation of polypyrrole, simultaneously. However, the increase in H2SO4 concentration effectively suppressed the overoxidation of polypyrrole. The morphology, conductivity and thermal stability of the products were also characterized.