Chemical in situ polymerization of polypyrrole on poly(methyl metacrylate) substrate

Combination of electrically and optically active organic materials in one fiber would enable to realize several interesting smart systems in a simple and cost effective manner. In this work the coating of plastic optical material–poly(methyl metacrylate)–was carried out by in situ chemical polymerization of polypyrrole (PPy). Two ways of chemical polymerization were compared: (a) using FeCl3 and (b) using ammonium peroxydisulphate with p-toluene sulfonic acid. Both planar and fiber samples were prepared. The samples are characterized by their surface resistivity and surface morphology. The influence of polymerization conditions like temperature, time and reactant concentration on surface resistivity is discussed. Optical transmission properties of PPy films are presented. The ageing of samples was studied within 4 weeks time. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.