Ion exchange properties of polypyrrole studied by electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM)

Abstract

The electrochemical polymerization of pyrrole in aqueous solution was studied as a function of a variety of parameters, such as magnitude of current density and monomer concentration. The possibility of quantitative replacement of counterions by solution anions was studied in detail using the electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) technique. It was found that the polymer structure can be manipulated, even after synthesis. The manipulation was revealed to be dependent on various factors, including the nature of the counterion and of the electrolyte concentration. On the basis of these observations, a two-layer structure is suggested for polypyrrole-based polymers. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry.