Synthesis of Ag/Polypyrrole Core-Shell Nanospheres by a Seeding Method

Ag/polypyrrole (PPy) core-shell nanospheres were fabricated through the redox reaction between pyrrole monomer and silver nitrate in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and by using the Ag colloidal nanoparticles acting as the seedings. The prepared nanospheres with a shell thickness of 10-12 nm and a core diameter of 20-40 nm are uniform in size and well dispersed. The morphologies, compositions, and electrochemical activities of Ag/PPy composites were characterized by TEM, XRD, FTIR, TGA and CV. The synthetic route employed here is gentle and can be extended to prepare other conducting polymer/inorganic nanocomposites.