Chemical Synthesis and Morphology of β–Naphthalene Sulfonic Acid‐Doped Polypyrrole Micro/Nanotubes

Abstract

A preliminary result of the morphology and yield of chemically synthesized polypyrrole (PPY) using β–naphthalene sulfonic acid (NSA) and ammonium peroxodisulphate (APS) in aqueous medium is presented. Various micro/nanotubes were obtained using different dopant/monomer (D/M) ratios and temperature settings. Similar but shorter and sheet‐like nanostructures were obtained without the use of surfactant NSA; with a fibre‐like, loose and admixed physical outlook. The percentage yield (m/v) of the doped PPY was greater than that from the undoped, being 27–44 and 18–20, respectively with higher values obtained from the low temperature synthesis. The highest percentage yield of 44 was obtained from a D/M ratio of 0.8.

Keywords:

• β–Naphthalene sulfonic acid‐doped polypyrrole
• polypyrrole nanotubes
• polypyrrole nanofibre
• SEM of polypyrrole

Acknowledgment

The work reported in this paper was funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa Focus Area Research Grant. We are grateful to Mr Gerald Malgas of the Department of Physics, University of the Western Cape, for SEM measurements.