Facial synthesis of polypyrrole/silver nanocomposites at the water/ionic liquid interface and their electrochemical properties

Abstract

Polpyrrole (PPy)/silver nanocomposites with their size of around 80–120 nm were successfully synthesized at the interface of water and ionic liquid. High dispersed PPy/silver nanocomposites were obtained in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) by controlling the reacting conditions. The morphology and structure of the resulting nanocomposites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was also found that the electrical conductivity of PPy/silver nanocomposites was much higher than that of pure PPy. Cyclic voltammetric experiments further indicated that the nanocomposite had excellent redox ability: polypyrrole; silver; ionic liquid; interface synthesis; and nanocomposites.