Electrochemical behaviour of polypyrrole/sulfated poly(β-hydroxyether) composites

The electrochemical behaviour of polypyrrole (PPy) doped with a sulfated poly(β-hydroxyether) (S-PHE) has been examined. PPy/S-PHE films are mechanically strong and electroactive in propylene carbonate solution, but electroinactive in aqueous solution. It was demonstrated that PPy/S-PHE could be made electroactive in aqueous media by first performing cyclic voltammetry in propylene carbonate/water mixtures. Contact angle measurements indicated that this pre-treatment procedure results in a significant increase in wettability of PPy/S-PHE films. The ability of pre-treated PPy/S-PHE films to sense other electroactive species in aqueous solution was also demonstrated.