Effects of Selective Polymerization Conditions on Physical Properties of Nanometer-Scale Silica/Polypyrrole Composites

Abstract

Nanometer-scale (approximately 70 nm) silica/polypyrrole composites were synthesized using a selective polymerization based on an in situ-generated strong oxidizing agent (NO+ ions) on the silica surface. The effects of the concentrations of reactants (pyrrole monomer and NO2- ions) and the presence of additional dopant anions (Cl- or SO2-4) on the polypyrrole (ppy) content and electric conductivity of the silica/ppy composites are examined. It was found that the ppy content in the silica/ppy composites increased with the reactant concentration in the range of 0.02-0.2 M. It is revealed that employing additional dopant anions could be a promising way to improve the electrical conductivity of the composites. © 2015 Korean Chemical Society, Seoul & Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.