Synthesis by plasma and characterization of bilayer aniline–pyrrole thin films doped with iodine

Abstract

AbstractThe synthesis by plasma and characterization of aniline–pyrrole bilayer polymers doped in situ with iodine were studied. The objective was to study the electrical conductivity of thin films composed of alternating layers of different polymers. The results indicated that the plasma technique is capable of forming chemically bonded layered polymers with several possible combinations. The electric conductivity was studied during heating–cooling cycles so the dependence of the bilayer polymers on temperature could be observed. The behavior was related with the Arrhenius model, with average activation energies of 0.4 ± 0.1 eV in the heating steps and 0.5 ± 0.1 eV in the cooling steps. The difference in both steps shows the influence of the aniline in the bilayer polymer network because polyaniline presents changes in the structure during heating processes. The bilayer aniline–pyrrole polymers had greater electric conductivity at room temperature than that shown by the separate homopolymers. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 1850–1856, 2002