Synthesis and characterization of nanosized polypyrrole-polystyrene composite particles

Nanosized polypyrrole–polystyrene (PPy–PS) composite particles were synthesized by the polymerization of pyrrole on PS nanoparticles in the presence of FeCl3. The PS nanoparticles were prepared from microemulsion polymerizations using the cationic nonpolymerizable surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), the nonionic polymerizable surfactant ω‐methoxy[poly(ethylene oxide)40]undecyl α‐methacrylate (PEO–R–MA‐40), or the cationic polymerizable surfactant ω‐acryloyloxyundecyltrimethylammonium bromide (AUTMAB). For the latexes stabilized by CTAB, the resulting PPy–PS composite particles exhibited relatively poor colloidal stability and the pressed pellets exhibited relatively low electrical conductivities (∼10−7–10−3 S cm−1). However, for the latexes stabilized by polymerizable surfactants, the resulting PPy–PS composite particles exhibited relatively good colloidal stability and relatively high conductivities (∼10−5–10−1 S cm−1). The effect of polymerizable surfactants on the colloidal stability of composite particles and the conducting mechanism of the composites are discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1360–1367, 2004