High Crystalline Quality Conductive Polypyrrole Film Prepared by Interface Chemical Oxidation Polymerization Method

The authors report that polypyrrole (PPy) films with large area and high crystalline quality have been achieved using an interfacial chemical oxidation method. By dissolving different reactants in two immiscible solvents, the PPy is synthetized at the interface region of the two solutions. The PPy films have sharp XRD diffraction peaks, indicating that the molecular chains in the film are arranged in a high degree of order and that they reflect high crystalline quality. High crystal quality is also conducive to improving electrical conductivity. The conductivity of the as prepared PPy film is about 0.3 S/cm, and the carrier mobility is about 5 cm2/(Vs). In addition, the biggest advantage of this method is that the prepared PPy film has a large area and is easy to transfer to other substrates. This will confidently broaden the application of PPy in the future.

Electrosynthesis of a Duplex Coating Consisting of a Cerium-Based Layer and a Polypyrrole Film for the Corrosion Protection of AISI 304 Stainless Steel

Duplex coating consisting of an inner cerium-based layer and polypyrrole (PPy) film topcoat was electrodeposited onto AISI 304 stainless steel. The cerium-based coating was electrodeposited in solutions containing cerium nitrate at 50 ºC. The polymeric outer layer was electropolymerized in the presence of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT). The electrosynthesis was done under potentiostat conditions. The coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry (EDX). The morphology of the double-layered cerium polypyrrole film shows a granular structure with the presence of agglomerates of small grains. The anticorrosive performance of the coatings was evaluated in sodium chloride solution by linear polarization, open circuit measurements, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Single films, cerium layer and PPy coating, and the duplex film all reduce the corrosion rate of AISI 304 stainless steel in NaCl solution. The duplex coating presents an improved corrosion resistance concerning the single films. The combination of the characteristics of the single layers is responsible for the superior corrosion protection efficiency of the double-layered cerium polypyrrole coating.