Electrochemical polymerization of polypyrrole (PPy) and poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) using functionalized single-wall carbon nanotubes

Abstract

We report on the synthesis and characteristics of polypyrrole (PPy) nanowires and poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) films by using functionalized single-wall carbon nanotubes (F-SWCNTs). The F-SWCNTs were prepared by the process of ultrasonication of SWCNTs mixture with nitric and sulfuric acid (3:1 volume ratio) solution. The F-SWCNTs has the pending carboxylic acid group (COOH). The PPy nanowires and bulky P3HT film were electrochemically polymerized based on the Al2O3 nanoporous template and on the ITO glass, respectively, by using the F-SWCNTs as a dopant in electrolyte. We compared the structural characteristics between the arc-grown SWCNTs and the F-SWCNTs through a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscope, a Raman spectroscope, an X-ray photoelectron spectroscope, and an elemental analysis. The formation of PPy nanowires and bulky P3HT film were confirmed through SEM and FT-IR experiments.