Investigations on the Interfacial Tension Induced Self‐Assembly in Tuning the 2D Morphology of Polypyrrole at Water/Chloroform Interface

Abstract

AbstractSelf‐assembly of reactive intermediates at the interface of an immiscible liquid mixture is an emerging bottom–up approach in constructing 2D functional materials. Herein, a mechanistic investigation of the vital role of various oxidants in the self‐assembly of reactive intermediates at the water/chloroform interface in pyrrole polymerization is reported. The energetics of one‐electron transfer between pyrrole and the hydrated metal ions of the oxidant is rationalized successfully using density functional calculations. The electron microscopic and X‐ray characterization techniques confirm the relatively uniform distribution of crystalline metal nanoparticles throughout the polymeric matrix. The predominance of the water/chloroform interface in thinning the polymeric sheets to 1.1 nm, by confining the assembly of polypyrrole (PPy) sheets as minimum as three layers, is approximated from atomic force microscopy images. The metal encapsulated PPy sheets are proved to have potential application in the electrochemical sensing of a potent biomarker, dopamine (DA). The electrochemical detection of DA with the limit of detection of 0.24 µm and their printability on a commercially available screen‐printed electrode to detect an appreciable current affirm their potential for various electrochemical sensing applications.