Synthesis and characterization of nano and micro copper doped conducting polymer

Polypyrrole (PPy) based metal composites have obtained considerable attention due to its fascinating properties such as appreciable electronic conductivity. This study is based on the system consisting of conducting polymer PPy doped with micro and nano copper particles which were prepared by chemical oxidative polymerization method separately. The properties of PPy, micro copper doped polypyrrole (mu-CuPPy) and nano copper doped polypyrrole (n-CuPPy) have been investigated by FT-IR, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and conductivity measurements. The XRD pattern shows that PPy is amorphous in nature whereas the mu-CuPPy and n-CuPPy are crystalline in nature. The conductivities of PPy and its composites after doping have been compared. The results revealed that nano composite posses better electrical conductivity than micro composite and PPy at room temperature. The conductivity of n-CuPPy is 2 x 10(-3) S/cm; mu-CuPPy is 3.62 x 10(-4) S/cm and PPy is 2.5 x 10(-5) S/cm. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.