Synthesis, characterisation and transport properties of layered conducting electroactive polypyrrole membranes

Abstract

A novel method for producing asymmetric membranes based on conducting polymers is described. Two layers of different polypyrrole films (PPy– p-toluene sulphonate and PPy–dodecyl sulphate) were electrodeposited onto an electrode to form a sandwich or layer structure. The films produced could be removed from the electrode and had sufficiently good mechanical properties to be used as free-standing membranes in simple transport experiments. Using electrochemically induced transport utilising technology described previously it was shown that a highly asymmetric membrane had been formed with a ratio of up to 35:1 in terms of the flux in one direction compared with another. This was for the transport of simple salts such as KCl and NaCl. In mixtures of these salts it was still possible to derive some reasonable selectivity between cations with selectivity of K + over Na + in ratios up to 4.5:1.