Metal nanoparticles incorporation during the photopolymerization of polypyrrole

In this work we present a route to prepare intrinsically conducting polymer (ICPs)/Silver nanoparticles composite through the photon polymerization process. The method consists to use the transition metals ions assisted by UV light to polymerize the pyrrole monomer. At the same time that the monomer is polymerized the silver ions are reduced and the silver metal particle are produced and incorporated to the polymer matrix. The composite films were characterized by conductivity measurements, UV/vis and FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electronic microscopy. The morphological properties of incorporated silver nanoparticles were examined with respect to the nature of substrates, exposure time and monomer ratios. Soon after a silver nitrate solution containing Pyrrol is excited by an UV light, a black deposition appears on glass walls or other substrates, such PET (poly(ethylene terephthalate) immersed in the solution, however if the solution is set aside and protected from light, the same black films takes more than 48 h to form. The UV–visible absorption, X-ray diffraction, infrared analysis and conductivity measurements confirm the formation of silver particles and pyrrole polymerization with composite conductivity in the order of 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹.